My Little Sis
by MidnightWalking
Summary: Bella wants to ride her motorcycle and wants Emmett to help. Will he be able to keep her safe? And what about Edward? How will Emmett keep this a secret from Edward? This is it, the last chapter, the end. Thanks for all the great reviews.
1. Chapter 1 Daredevil

_**AN: None of these marvelous character's belong to me, they all belong to Stephenie Meyer who I wish to thank for allowing us to use them.**_

_**This story is from Emmett's PoV and it occurs right after the last chapter of New Moon. It is a 'what if' story. In this case, what if Bella chose not to give her motorcycle back to Jake, but took an alternative route with moving it out of the driveway.**_

_**Note of warning, since we are dealing with Emmett, there may be some suggestive situations, but nothing graphic or more suggestive than other stories I have read on this site.**_

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**Daredevil? - Chapter 1  
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We were all surprised to see Edward return home early. Lately he stayed with Bella until Charlie kicked him out supposedly for the night; little did he know that Edward returned to his daughter's room every night after he was in bed. Of course, Charlie really had nothing to fear – it wasn't as if Edward could do anything considering the differences between them.

I figured Charlie was upset about something because I heard Alice tell Edward that Charlie would calm down. I couldn't help but wonder if Charlie had found out about his late night visits.

Edward's news about the wolf boy's warning also came as no surprise to me. Rose and I were part of the family when the treaty was made, but I had hoped overtime they might have forgotten about that minor detail about no 'biting' a human, but I guess they had longer memories than I gave them credit for.

It was too bad that this would add to Edward's reasoning for not changing Bella, but, hey, who said he had to change her while we're in Forks. A summer vacation trip to Alaska could easily settle the problem, and then we wouldn't be here when it happened.

I wondered how the Quileutes would have handled Bella becoming a vampire if Edward hadn't been able to stop the venom when James attacked her. They couldn't have held it against us because we had only tried to protect her from a killer; besides, none of us had actually bitten her. I wondered if Alice and Jasper fell under that treaty; they never agreed to it.

'That could be a thought . . .' but before I could go further with that thought I heard Edward say, "She understood it perfectly and told him it was none of his business. I wasn't sure if he'd be able to hold his form; he was that upset, and yet Bella didn't show any fear. She knows what he becomes, and yet fearlessly berates him for interfering in her choice."

I had to agree with Edward; Bella was fearless and she showed a lot of spunk by standing up to a juvenile werewolf. Bella was proving to be a bundle of surprises to me, an interesting – to say the least – person to get to know better.

Carlisle caught my attention when he said, "Edward, Bella never does what normal humans do."

I chuckled to myself and agreed with his comment; Bella was extremely unpredictable. Look how quick she was to forgive Jasper on her birthday. Even then, her first thoughts were about Jasper and us rather than about her own danger. Rose would never have been that forgiving.

"She seems to understand more than we seem to give her credit for," Carlisle continued, "And she knows what to fear and what not to fear in a different way than we do. What we see as a threat, she sometimes sees as only a challenge to correct and change for the better." Even Carlisle was quick to point out that Bella was fearless in the face of danger if someone she cared about was in danger.

Hell, that's how we all felt about her – even Rose was beginning to see Bella in a completely new light since Italy. Carlisle's words also reminded me of last spring; as he talked about that event, I recalled Bella's reaction in the truck when Edward tried to drive her away from Forks.

Carlisle was right; Bella's first thoughts then were for the safety of her father rather than herself. It suddenly made me realize how much courage she really had, not only then, but also when she went to Italy with Alice. I had to admit that I admired her bravado in the face of danger. I was glad she went, but it strengthened my belief in how much Bella loved Edward. I mean, I knew she really loved him, but her willingness to face a group of vampires even most other vampires feared shed a new light for me on the strength of her love for Edward.

I snapped out of my thoughts when Carlisle asked where Bella was and Edward replied, "Actually, Charlie is lecturing her on the dangers of riding a motorcycle."

As he said that, a picture of Bella on a motorcycle with training wheels popped into my head and I laughed. It was the most ridiculous concept imaginable, I thought. Bella would never ride a motorcycle. I heard Jasper laugh right after I did and I saw the merriment of the thought in his eyes, which caused me to laugh more.

"What are you laughing about?" Edward barked at me.

Still laughing, I replied, "Bella on a motorcycle. Of all the ridiculous ideas, why would Charlie have to give Bella such a lecture? She prefers her truck and traveling at a snails pace." Of all the adjectives I would have used to describe Bella, I had never considered daredevil one of them, courageous, yes, but not a daredevil.

"That was the old Bella," Alice informed us. "She's now into extreme sports."

"Bella?" I found that hard to swallow. "Since when?" I was amazed to discover Bella had hidden facets to her character.

"Since Edward left her." Alice added. "It seems she needed something to fill her empty time and she decided to take up some not so safe activities." I could tell Alice was enjoying that fact that she had shocked me with her news.

"Yah, like paling around with werewolves," I suggested.

Obviously, Alice knew more because she continued, "It didn't stop there. Werewolves and motorcycles were only a start. It seems cliff diving was also added to her list. That was what I saw when I thought she had jumped, but she informed me it was only for recreational purposes." I saw Alice look over at Edward as she added, "I guess taking the vampires out of her life only forced her to find other dangers to fill the void we left."

Motorcycles, cliff driving, and werewolves, what would Bella think of next? It would be too bad if she gave up all the fun now that Edward was back. Of course, her trip to Italy with Alice was no joy ride either. If anyone were looking to do something extreme, going face to face with the Volturi was as extreme as it could get, and yet, that was just what Bella did. I was glad Edward was paying more attention to what Alice was saying because I didn't think he would like my thoughts. Besides, Alice was brave enough to point out that our leaving really didn't make life any safer for Bella.

"Don't remind me," Edward shot back. I could tell Alice's observation upset him.

Of course, Edward did not see the humor in Bella's actions; he only saw the danger to her life, but my motto was 'danger makes life more interesting.' Even when I was human, I enjoyed danger, but I didn't have as many near fatal encounters as Bella did. Maybe it was because I was a guy and we expected danger in our lives. Bella was also more fragile than I had ever been as a human – maybe because she was a girl.

I found all this information about Bella vastly amusing. I knew it was fun having Bella around because she made me laugh in a way no one else could, but to discover she had been spending her time endangering her life with 'extreme sports' – as Alice called them – was a whole new fun side of Bella. What Alice shared with us about Bella increased my desire to spend a little more time with her. This new Bella would definitely be more fun than the old Bella; of course, she might also be more dangerous to herself, but then that would only give Edward more of a reason to stay closer to her. Maybe, I thought, she was doing this just so Edward would finally decide it would be safer and wiser to change her. Of course, if she made wolf boy too mad, he might lash out at her first and then Edward could save her by changing her.

I decided I'd tell Edward what I thought since Alice seemed to be laying everything out in the open. "Well, I must say that I'm finding Bella much more interesting. I thought she was fun before, but she's becoming a lot more fascinating." I felt a slap to the back of my head. "Hey, what was that for?" I quickly turned to face Rose who was behind me.

"I don't think I like the fact that you find someone else interesting." She was cute when she pouted.

"Aw, Rosie, Bella will never be interesting in the same way you are. I just meant it could be fun to see Bella participating in some activities that are a little more daring than dancing." I knew I would have to spend sometime convincing Rose that I preferred her to anyone else. How she could doubt that was beyond me. Rose was and always would be my angel and just because I thought it would be fun to be around while Bella participated in any kind of 'extreme' sport didn't mean I wanted to spend any time with her romantically.

Heck, Bella was like a kid sister, and I would always see her like that. Kid sisters were around for fun and sometimes they needed a little extra protection because they were a little more vulnerable, and Bella was definitely vulnerable because of being human and clumsy. I chuckled at that idea as I took Rose's face between my hands and began kissing her to show her she was the only attraction in my life that made me feel this way. Just touching her sent extra chills through out my body and caused desires to rise up in me.

I didn't have to see them leave, but I knew my family had vacated the room once I began apologizing to Rose. As our kissing continued, I gently pushed her down on the couch and intensified the passion in my kisses. I knew this would soon lead to the bedroom, but I liked to tease her with just kisses at first. I knew she liked the play that went with our passion, and I wasn't about to rush our time together. If I held back some, I could make this last all night. What a way to spend a night.

Edward definitely didn't know what he was missing or he would take steps to rectify the matter. 'I hope your listening, Edward; you could learn something from a master.' I doubted he was listening but I couldn't help but think it just in case he was on the receiving end of my thoughts.

I was just about to pick Rose up and carry her upstairs when Edward said "Emmett." My first thought was that he had been listening and he was challenging my thoughts, but then I realized he sounded more surprised than upset. Usually when I tried to share some truths about women with him, he just became upset, so I decided it had to be about something other than my recent thought I tried to throw at him.

I had to admit I was curious about why he was taking a risk at interrupting Rose's and my time together if all he was going to do was to tell me to keep my thoughts to myself, but despite my curiosity I still hated the interruption.

**AN: Edited and revised chapter 8/09/08**


	2. Chapter 2 Bella Wants My Help?

**AN: Characters still belong to Stephenie Meyer, but the plot is all mine. Enjoy.**

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**Bella Wants My Help? – Chapter 2**

Since I had been in the process of pulling Rose off the sofa with the intent of heading upstairs, I growled as I said, "Leave me alone; I'm busy."

Edward's tone was sharper as he replied, "Answer the phone."

I had to admit I was surprised. Nobody called me, and I began to wonder if he was just trying to annoy me. To let him know it was working, if that were his intent, I made my tone harsher as I shot back, "Why?"

"Bella wants to talk to you." From his tone, I knew he wasn't joking.

I also knew Rose was upset because I quickly released my hold on her and rushed into the kitchen asking "Really?" without actually voicing the question.

Edward just handed me the phone, but I could tell by his look that he wasn't happy. I couldn't help but smile a little knowing Bella was supposedly on the phone but hadn't asked to speak to Edward. I couldn't wait to hear what she had called about especially after the recent insights I'd just had into her new lifestyle.

"Hello?" I asked it more as a question than a statement because I was still unsure if it was really her. A million questions raced through my mind, the uppermost being 'why had she called me?'

"Emmett, this is Bella. I have a favor to ask of you." Her voice helped reassure me that I was talking to Bella.

'A favor? This could prove interesting,' I thought. "Hi Bella, what do you need?" As I looked over toward Edward I couldn't help but let my smile widen because of the scrawl on his face; he must have caught my thought about the favor. I could tell it was bothering him that I was talking to Bella and he didn't know what she was saying or what favor she could possibly ask of me. I decided I would try to keep my mind as blank as possible about what Bella was saying just to irritate Edward.

"Can you bring your truck over here? I have something I'd like you to take home with you."

I attempted to keep my thoughts as generic as possible but I still laughed as I asked, "Yourself?" The only thought I allowed myself was, 'Edward might like that more than he would admit,' but then I let slip, 'why is she asking me?'

With a laugh, Bella answered, "No, not this time."

As I watched Edward while I listened to Bella, I realized he was going to ask to come along, so I decided I'd better find out if Bella wanted him along. "Should I come alone?"

"That might be a good idea," she replied promptly. I couldn't help but wonder why her answer was so prompt.

'I wonder how Edward will feel about that . . . this could be extremely interesting knowing Bella.' The thoughts slipped out before I realized my mind was betraying me so I stopped thinking about what Bella had said.

"Okay, I'll be there shortly." I let out a rumbling chuckle. Bella's cloak and dagger approach tickled me. Whatever she was planning, I knew she didn't want Edward to know about it. As best as possible, I planned to keep it from Edward until she wanted him to know about it.

As I hung up the phone, Rose walked into the kitchen. I knew she was also curious about what she had overheard from the living room.

"Who was that?" She tried to sound disinterested, but I knew Rose better than that. I would satisfy her curiosity later on in our room. That thought helped me know where I could let my own thoughts wonder so Edward would stop trying to find out what Bella wanted.

"Bella," I replied as I began to imagine what would take place later.

"What did she want?" She snapped slightly.

Rose wasn't going to be happy with my answer, but Bella hadn't said exactly what she wanted, so I offered, "Just some help. I'll be back in a bit but I need to leave now." To appease Rose I kissed her swiftly on the lips and turned to leave.

"I'll come along." Edward promptly said from behind me.

Bella had specifically said not to bring Edward, so I abruptly turned and said, "No, I don't think Bella wants you there right now." Remembering what Edward had said early about Charlie's anger I quickly added, "I think Charlie was listening as she talked and her tone seemed to imply that it might be a good idea for you to stay away."

"Well, what does she want?" He sounded like Rose when she felt she had right to know everything that was going on, even if she wasn't meant to know.

The best I could offer was the fact that Bella didn't really say what she wanted; just that she wanted something and to come alone, so I replied "I'm not sure. She didn't really say; just that I should come alone."

I couldn't stop the slight smile that appeared because it was funny that Bella would ask for my help rather than Edward's. Both Edward and Rose appeared upset about the idea of my going over to Bella's alone, but I couldn't figure out why they should be upset. It wasn't as if I was taking her on a date or anything, and besides, her father would be there. When a girl has the town's chief of police as her father, what does she have to fear? Well, except for the odd vampire attacks or the adolescent werewolves romping through the woods, Bella was as safe as any normal human was.

It seemed Rose was going to be persistent because she said, "Emmett . . .

I stopped her, however, before she got any further by saying, "No, Rose. It's best if I go alone. I'll be back soon, and then we can pick up where we left off." Just to reassure her, I winked before I turned and proceeded out the door.

Knowing Bella would be waiting for me, I rushed to my truck. I planned to beat Edwards's record; I figured I could shave three minutes off his best driving time to Bella's house. Besides, I was extremely curious about what she wanted me to do. I was hoping it would be interesting, and knowing Bella, it could even end up being funny. I still found it hilarious that Bella had been participating in 'extreme sports,' as Alice put it, while Edward was away, but thinking about it as I drove to Bella's I realized it shouldn't have surprised me at all. How much more extreme could one human become if she started dating a vampire, and especially a vampire who craves her blood. I still wasn't sure how Edward did it. The few times I'd encountered humans with extremely delicious blood, my instincts took over before I could rationally realize what had happened. The pull and urge had been too strong to resist; however, I had been wondering lately, which was attracting Edward more now that he was back. Was her blood the major attraction, or did her body tempt him more?

Knowing Edward, he probably wouldn't admit the truth and that made me chuckle. He could be so pig-headed at times, but Bella had a way of wrapping him around her little finger. One day she would realize she could have anything she asked of him, if she learned to ask in the right way. Rose did the same thing to me, but she had learned how to ask, and I had learned that I couldn't say no to most of her requests.

As I pulled into Bella's driveway, I noticed the shiny red motorcycle parked there. That, I decided, must be the hotly contested vehicle that put Bella in hot water with her dad. I wondered what she planned on doing with it.

**AN: Edited and revised version 8/09/08  
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	3. Chapter 3 You Want to do What?

_**AN: For your entertainment, here is Chapter 3. Thanks for all the nice reviews.**_

_**As always, these characters do not belong to me, they all belong to Stephenie Meyer.**_

_**Thanks for reading and reviewing.**_

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**You Want to do What? – Chapter 3**

I saw Bella looking out her door as I drove up, and she was out her front door and waving to me almost as quickly as I exited my truck. I knew this was going to be an interesting request because of the look on Bella's face. It reminded me of the look Rose would have just before she would ask me to do something that she and I both knew would lead to trouble. The only question I had was what type of trouble Bella was planning to get into.

I couldn't stop the chuckle I felt rising up in my throat, so I laughed as I said, "I hear you're in more trouble than ever." I looked over toward her bike. "Is this, then, the offending piece of equipment?"

She hung her head a little reminding me of a repentant child. "Yes, Charlie is extremely upset. I just endured a one hour lecture on the hazards of motorcycles and what happens to those unlucky people who decided to ride one." Her frowned reminded me of lectures I had endured from Carlisle when I had done something foolish.

Her comment also told me that Charlie totally disapproved of motorcycles and that he would like to see this one disappear. "I take it you want me to dispose of it in some manner." I had to look down at her. She was a shade taller than Alice was, but it still felt like I was looking down at a child rather than a young woman.

Bella's entire tone change as she replied, "Oh no."

Her response surprised me; I had almost forgotten this was the 'new' Bella. Edward's leaving had changed her, but my bet was she changed in a good way. The old complacent Bella had changed into a new more determined Bella. I had wondered about that the night she had come to ask us about voting on whether she should become part of our family. I had seen a glimpse of the new Bella, but I hadn't been positive if the 'new' Bella would stay or if the 'old' Bella would return to claim her rightful place. After hearing Bella's comment, I decided Alice's statement was right on the mark; not only had Bella found a way to fill her danger void, but it looked as if she planned to continue on the path she had started even now that Edward had returned. Of course, Edward was still a form of danger for her, but I suspected he had better control now than he did before he left.

I noticed Bella looking back at the house, almost as if looking for anyone who might be watching. I guessed she didn't want Charlie knowing what she had planned. I looked too, but all the windows were free of any type of audience.

In a bit of a smaller less powerful voice, she said while she watched the ground and moved one foot around, "I want you to store it for me in your garage, and . . . well, I . . . um . . . thought . . . maybe," she seemed hesitant to ask me something I felt was going to be very meaningful for her.

Then it dawned on me, she wanted to keep the motorcycle. No, I realized, she wanted me to keep it for her, but why, could it possibly be she wanted to keep it for herself. Sheer curiosity forced me to ask, "Bella, you're not seriously thinking about keeping the motorcycle?"

She simply nodded her head in reply.

I didn't need to hear anymore. It looked like the new Bella was here to stay and of that, I was heartily glad. Nevertheless, the fact that the new Bella was staying both surprised and pleased me, but I also suspected this 'Bella' would be more fun than before.

"Bella, you've become rather rebellious since I was away," I chuckled; I liked that idea, but still asked, "What does Edward think about that?"

I could tell I touched a sore spot. She stared directly at me as she defensively replied, "It's my motorcycle, and I don't care what he thinks. If I'm going to go behind Charlie's back to keep it, then Edward had better just accept that."

Her reply took me by surprise; not only was she a 'new Bella,' but she was a very determined Bella. I could see that she'd make one very interesting vampire, just as she was a very interesting human.

"Look, Emmett, it might be better if you didn't mention to Edward that you're storing the bike for me."

She wanted me to keep a secret from Edward. Well that could be interesting. I wondered just how serious she was.

I could see she felt she had to explain herself as she added, "Just tell him you're holding it for me until I decide what to do with it. Tell him I just need it out of Charlie's sight for the time being."

I couldn't help but stare at Bella and wonder what else she had in mind. "And just what are you planning on doing with it?"

She was hesitant as she began, "Well . . . I was kinda hoping that maybe . . ." I watched her pause as she took a deep breath. At first, I thought she was thinking, but then she blurted out, "I was hoping you'd take me out on it and help me finish learning how to ride it."

Bella had looked down as she blurted out the last part, but as she finished she looked up into my eyes. I instantly realized Edward had been right when he described Bella eyes as deep pools one could fall into because that was what I saw as I gazed into her eyes.

At the same time I felt myself falling into her brown pools, I also felt a smile rippling across my mouth, and then I said, "You're wicked Bella. You're planning on getting into trouble and you're going to drag me along." I knew I was right as I watched her eyes; she was planning to do something that could catapult us both into trouble, if not with Edward than with Charlie; however, I feared Edward more than I feared Charlie.

I was finding the possibilities very amusing. I decided this might just be fun, and everyone in my family knew I thrived on challenges and fun.

Bella must have been able to read my face – at least I hoped it was my face she was reading – because she asked, "Then, you'll do it?" with a huge smile on her face.

Her smile was infectious and I smile in response, "Yes, but you have to promise me that you won't hurt yourself; otherwise, I have to defend myself from Edward when he tries to kill me for allowing any harm to come to you," but then I remembered why Edward was so protective of Bella. If we weren't careful, she would end up hurt. I had to remind myself that she was very fragile. It would be very easy for me to break her without even meaning to and that thought made me realize we would need to take precautions. So, I would agree but I would require her to follow some safety guidelines. "Okay, I have one condition."

"And that would be?" Bella looked skeptical of what I might ask of her.

"Well, obviously I don't want you getting hurt, so I'd like you to wear a heavy long sleeve shirt and jeans. Plus, I'll pick up a few safety items for you to use to help keep you protected. That's my condition." If I made sure she covered herself from head to toe, then we should be okay. I wasn't sure what to buy besides a helmet, so I would ask Rose, she would know.

How dangerous could it really be? It was only a small motorcycle after all. It wasn't as if I was taking her hunting or cliff diving, or even encouraging her to fraternize with the enemy. No, this would be okay, and besides, Bella seemed very excited by the prospect. 'This will be fun,' I promised myself.

Bella proved to be agreeable with my request. "Not a problem. I don't want Edward mad at you because I got hurt, but . . . Wait, what do you mean by 'picking up a few safety items'?"

Okay, so I forgot she didn't like gifts, but these wouldn't be gifts; these would be insurance. If I presented it that way, I thought, maybe she wouldn't bulk so much at accepting them. Besides, I didn't want to be on Edward's bad side any more than I was; well, that we all were, accept Rose, because we voted yes to changing Bella. That vote did not sit well with Edward, but what else could we do; he couldn't live without her and now that I knew some more about what Bella went through, it was doubtful she could live without him.

"I'm going to buy you a few things that you will have to wear during any lesson I give you." I could see she was about to argue the point but I needed to proceed, so I quickly added, "Even though I'm buying you something to wear, I'm actually buying protection for myself. Think of it as insurance," I couldn't help but chuckle as I saw her expression, "against Edward's wrath." At least mentioning insurance and Edward all in one breath had made her stop and think, but I needed to stress the fact that either she agrees to my request or we drop the whole riding lesson idea. "I won't teach you unless you agree, and besides, it's not like I'll take you to the mall shopping like Alice wants to." That should help; Alice may have treated her as some dress-up doll, but what I planned on buying was much more serious and helpful then a prom dress. Although, I had to admit, she did look good in that prom dress; she hadn't looked as stunningly gorgeous as Rose had, but Bella definitely out shone those other teenage girls.

I could see she was considering the pros and cons of what I said, and I was happy she was taking this seriously. I began to wonder how her dad would feel if he realized she was planning to ride her bike, and that I would be the one giving her lessons.

Most parents seemed intimidated by me; Rose said it was my commanding presence, but Edward claimed it was my domineering attitude and the fact that I'm taller than most of the adults we meet. He said I appeared threatening especially when I was around their children. People can be so judgmental most of the time. If they had taken the time to know me, they would've realized I'm not as threatening as I appeared. Of course, I didn't really have a desire to get to know any humans that well with the exception of Bella. Like I've said before, Bella was extremely unique and that made her interesting, and she was extraordinarily clumsy and that made her funny. Yes, Bella was definitely the only human I ever had any interest in getting to know better, and when she truly became my little sis, then we could really have some fun. For the time being, I would have to be careful so I didn't break her, and I needed to be sure she didn't break herself. I had been almost too intent on thinking about Bella as one of us, that I almost missed her reply to my comment.

"I really don't like anyone spending money on me, but since this is insurance for you, I'll agree this time. Besides, I really want to hone my skills at riding my bike without accidents. There is, however, one other promise I would like from you."

I wasn't sure if I liked the sound of that. 'What could she require of me besides teaching her?' I wondered.

"I would prefer if you didn't let Edward know that we are going to do this."

'Oh, this might be dangerous and intriguingly challenging. She wasn't going to tell Edward at all?' I was about to ask why, when she stopped me by rushing through the rest of her comments.

"I'm not going to tell Edward that I'm planning on riding my motorcycle. He thinks it's reckless and dangerous for me, so you can't let him know. That means you'll have to watch your thoughts and keep them from Edward. Can you do that?"

From her expression, I could tell she didn't think I would be able to do it, but I had ways of keeping things from Edward. In fact, we all did. If we hadn't learned how to shut him out or keep him from looking too much, then none of us would have had any secrets that we could've kept from him. Besides, it meant I wouldn't have to be the one to tell him why I was helping her and not him. "Not a problem, this way I don't have to explain why you asked me to go out with you and not him." 'Going out,' that thought made me laugh. I sounded like we would be dating or something. 'Or something', that gave me an idea of what to think about when Edward was around so he would stop probing for information. "Besides, I know exactly what to think about if he gets too curious or starts to search for something I don't want him to know."

Yes, as soon as I got home, I would begin to think about Rose and our missed trip upstairs. I smiled as I thought about what we might have been doing at that very moment if Bella hadn't called and interrupted my plans, but that was okay. Now I had something to focus my thoughts on when I got home.

"Thanks Emmett. I really appreciate everything you're doing for me." Bella paused slightly and I could tell she had something else to ask me. "How will Rosalie feel about you doing this for me?"

At least she asked a question I could answer easily. "Don't worry about her. She still feels guilty about what happened, and she's looking for ways to make amends." Yes, Rose had been much nicer to every one lately. In fact, and my next thought made me smile, she had even said some nice things about Bella and not just around Edward, but also around all of us.

"She doesn't need to do that. I don't hold anything against her. Maybe I should tell her that."

That was something she definitely shouldn't do. Every one was enjoying Rose's repentant behavior and I couldn't let Bella ruin that. "No, Bella. This is actually good; now that Rose feels guilty, she will be nice to you and to everyone else in the family as well. She is trying to make amends; hell, she's even nicer to me right now and I like that fact, so please, for me and everyone in the family, don't ruin it."

"Okay, I won't say anything, but at least you know I don't hold it against her."

Bella was such a forgiving soul, if the roles had been reversed, Rose would have been at Bella's throat right after she found out what happened, and Rose would never have considered forgiving her for having done something so harmful and dangerous, at least not right away. Rose could seem harsh, but underneath there was a good person, she just hid it well.

"Do you need any help putting the bike in the truck?"

I thought she was joking at first, but then I looked at her face and realized she was serious. To prove I didn't need help, I laughed while picking it up with one hand. "I think I can handle this on my own."

Bella laughed with me, and then after I put the bike in the back of my truck, she walked over and kissed me on the cheek. "Thanks Emmett, I really appreciate this. I have to go before Charlie becomes suspicious."

"Do you have a message for Edward?" I though if she sent him a message, then he might not get to inquisitive about my trip to Bella's house. "He'll ask if you said anything to pass on to him."

"Oh, well," she seemed to think a few minutes before finally saying, "Tell him the window will be open." She smiled and a slight blush crept into her cheeks.

I smiled at her message; I knew Edward would have some comeback when I related Bella message. Too bad he didn't take fuller advantage of being in her room, but then as long as she was human, he'd never be able to take their relationship to the next level. As a looked down on Bella, I thought it was a waste he didn't just agree to change her. She was such a little thing; having to look down at her reminded me of that. I cautiously reached out, and being careful not to touch her to roughly, I lightly ruffled her hair and said, "I'll see you later, and we'll decide when this lesson is going to take place."

As I got in my truck to leave, I smiled again and began to realize that there would be a lot to think about and prepare before I actually took Bella out to ride her bike. Her breakability would have to be my first concern. I remembered Edward talking about how careful he had to be every moment he was with her so he didn't forget about his strength and accidentally hurt her. If I were going to keep Bella from hurting herself while riding her bike and possibly falling off – no, she would definitely fall off. I would have to be aware of her fragility as I reached out to catch her; I would have to use caution so as not to crush any of her bones.

During the drive home, I also debated what to tell Edward about my trip to Bella's house. Bella didn't want him to know she would be riding her bike, but if he were waiting for me when I arrived, and I'm sure he would be doing just that, then I would need an explanation about why Bella's bike was in the back of my truck. I decided simpler was easier; so I would tell him that Bella wanted me to take her bike. Besides, that was just what she asked me to do, to take her bike home with me, and that was what I was doing. If he didn't like that, then I would ignore him. No, I would give him Bella's message and add that she would be awaiting his arrival. Yes, that would take his mind of the bike, and to help, I'll just keep my mind on Rose and the evening I had planned for her. That thought made me smile even more.

**AN: Edited and revised chapter 8/09/08**


	4. Chapter 4 Eyes on Rose

_**AN: Chapter 4 is ready and you will enjoy it as you have the last few chapters. Warning, there is a lot of Emmet and Rose time in this chapter.**_

_**As always, these characters do not belong to me, they all belong to Stephenie Meyer.**_

_**Thanks for reading and reviewing.**_

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**Eyes on Rose – Chapter 4**

As I drove up, I saw Edward waiting for me on the porch. I had been thinking about Rose and the fact that she was upset with me. I knew that because I had read it in her face before I left. I thought about the fact that I didn't have to be a mind reader like Edward to know how Rose was feeling or how she would react to certain things I did as it was all evident in her face. It was apparent in Edward's face that he wanted to know what took place between Bella and I. 'Give him the facts as quickly as possible, and then go directly to Rose,' was the thought that passed through my mind.

I was out of my truck the moment I stopped but Edward was right there waiting for me.

"So, what did Bella need your help with?" Edward's question was blunt and to the point.

He wanted answers immediately, so I smiled and replied, "Well, hello to you to." I figured he could wait a few moments before I told him.

"Come on Emmett. I know Bella wanted your help with something. Just tell me what it was."

I could read in his face what he really wanted to know, so the thought crossed my mind again, 'Give him the facts, and rush up to Rose.' "Look in the back of the truck. That should answer your questions." Then I began walking toward the house.

He wasn't satisfied with my answer because he asked, "If that was all she wanted, then how come you were gone so long?" while he walked beside me toward the house.

I chuckled as I continued walking toward the house. "She told me about the lecture Charlie gave her about the dangers of riding a motorcycle. It seems he is dead set against her having it, and I told her I would find a place for it." Then I remembered her message and I chucked more as I thought about it. "Oh, and she gave me a message for you." I found myself wishing Rose had left the same message for me.

Edward cocked an eyebrow and asked, "And just what was the message?"

"She said, and I quote - Tell him the window will be open – end of quote. I'll see you later, neither of us should leave the one we love waiting, and at least Bella is quicker to forgive than Rose," I finished as I rushed through the front door. I knew I couldn't keep Rose waiting any longer, but she might keep me waiting for sometime before she completely forgave me for deserting her for Bella.

'Well, what was done was done,' I thought as I rushed up the stairs two or three at a time. I was in front of our bedroom door, but I knocked softly before turning the handle. I was surprised to find the door unlocked. Usually, when Rose was mad, she would start by locking me out of the room. As I entered the room, however, I noticed Rose wasn't present. I made a quick search of the room and discovered she was nowhere in any of the adjoining rooms.

As I walked out into the hall, planning to look for Rose, I saw Alice coming down the hallway. I smiled as I realized I could ask her where I might find Rose.

"Alice, have you seen Rose or know where she is?" I asked hopefully.

Alice smiled, "You know she's upset, but I think you'll find her receptive to your apology." She cocked her head to the side before adding, "You'll find her in the garage working out her anger." She laughed as she added, "You'll have to monitor everything you think while Edward is around if you're going to keep this secret from him."

I should have known Alice would 'see' what Bella had planned. I shot back, "Now that you know, you'll have to be careful as well - the fewer people who know the better. If too many of us are hiding our thoughts, Edward will become suspicious . . ."

I suddenly realized that Edward might be listening at that very moment, but then Alice shook her head, "He left before you reached the top of the stairs. He's anxious to apologize to Bella for leaving her to Charlie's wrath, and don't worry, the only other person who knows is Jasper." She must have seen the concern on my face for she hastily added, "I had to tell him; he was with me when I had the vision. Beside, Jasper will be able to help when the time comes. Now hurry out to the garage before Rose becomes more upset that it took you too long to find her." Alice took off down the hall as I headed for the stairs and the garage.

Alice was right; I could tell the moment I walked into the garage that Rose was angry. I found her pounding away on a piece of metal. I'm not sure if it was a part for one of the cars or if it was an old piece that she was just venting her anger on; I was hoping for the later. I walked up quietly behind her, wrapped my arms around her waist, and softly kissed her neck.

Then I whispered, "You're the only person I will ever love." I let my kisses run down her neck to her shoulder.

"Emmett," she began, "You left . . ."

I could tell this would be easier than I thought. In fact, I realized Alice was right because Rose seem breathless as I continued to caress her neck and shoulder with my lips. I decided to see just how receptive she was and began to move my hands slowly up from her waist.

"Emmett," she began again, but this time I stopped her.

"Yes, I know; I left just when it was getting interesting, but I didn't leave because I didn't want you. I left to help Bella for a short while knowing I would have the rest of the night with you. I intend to make this a night you'll not want to forget." I turned her around so she was facing me and kissed her softly at first and then slowly let the passion in my kisses build until I felt Rose returning my passion in her kisses.

Before we went too far, I swept her up in my arms and carried her to the house and up to our room kissing her as we went.

I spent the entire evening catering to her wants, knowing exactly what pleased her. I prolonged every touch, kiss, and caress. As a result, we didn't emerge from our room until late morning of the following day, and Rose's smile proved the efforts of the night before were well worth the effort I put into them.

As we emerged from the room, she asked, "So, just what did Bella need you to do for her?"

I had to be careful of what I said just in case Edward was somewhere in the house. "Why don't you follow me outside and I'll show you." I was also careful to keep my thoughts focused on something other than Bella's request before I took the motorcycle away.

As we reached the bottom step, I saw Esme coming from the living room. "Where is everyone?" I asked her.

"Well, Alice and Edward are at school, Carlisle is in his office, and I suspect Jasper is in his study." She carefully scanned both our faces, and I was sure she knew how we spent the night. "You both seem to be in a good mood this morning." She then turned toward Rose. "I'm glad to see your anger has dissipated my dear." Then she walked off toward the kitchen.

I grabbed Rose's hand and said, "Come on. I have something to show you." I was literally pulling her outside. Now that I knew Edward was at school, I could begin part of my plans that I had been making since Bella asked for lessons.

I stopped at the bed of my truck and pointed inside. "Bella's motorcycle," I told Rose. "Can you check it over and make sure it's safe to ride."

Rose stood staring at the shiny red vehicle. "You not thinking of riding it, are you?"

"No," I laughed. "The truth of the matter is Bella wants to continue riding it." I laughed more as I saw the look on Rose's face. "Come on Rose. Why should that shock you with everything Alice told us about Bella. She's just looking for a little excitement in her life."

"Like hanging out with werewolves and being stalked by a vampire seeking revenge isn't exciting – does she really have a death wish?" Rose asked with a heavy sigh. "Well, come on; bring it into the garage and I'll see if its travel worthy." Rose started walking toward the garage without waiting for an answer to her question.

I quickly hauled the motorcycle out of the truck and wheeled it over to the garage. Rose quickly donned her coveralls, laid out her tools, and went straight to work. I sat down on the bench and watched as she worked. I loved watching her put energy into her work. I especially loved to see smudges of dirt and grease on her face. Those small imperfections made her look even lovelier to me. A desire to kiss her rose within me as I watched her work. Finally, I couldn't hold myself back, so I quickly walked over to her and embraced her tenderly while passionately kissing her sweet tempting lips.

"Emmett," she scolded as she broke from my embrace. "How do you expect me to finish if you interrupt me?"

"Maybe you could finish later. I think you need a break for the time being." I was staring at her wanting her more than ever before. She was so beautiful with her hair askew and smudges running rampant across her porcelain skin.

Rose laughed as she replied, "I don't need a break; it's you who wants me to take a break." Rose walked over to another workbench, laid down the tool she had in her hand, and picked up a rag to wipe her hands. "Well, I guess a break won't hurt; besides, I'm done. There was nothing seriously wrong with Bella's motorcycle except the disconnected back brake. Who ever reconditioned this motorcycle did a professional job." Rose slightly tilted her head in thought and then said, "I wonder who did it for her?"

At that point, I couldn't have cared less who worked on Bella's motorcycle because all I could see was Rose and how delicious she looked. "Do you know how beautiful you look right now?" I walked slowly toward her. As late morning had turned into mid afternoon, I finally realized that I didn't have to worry about Edward reading my thoughts about Bella for the time being because all my focus on was Rose and how much I wanted her.

"Emmett, I'm a mess, and I imagine I have dirt and grease on my face." She had turned toward me.

As I reached her, I enveloped her in a loving embrace. "That only adds to your beauty in my eyes," I laughed as I leaned forward to kiss her again.

Rose stubbornly pushed away from me. "Emmett, let me clean up first." She had turned to walk out of the garage.

As I started after her, I said, "No, I prefer you just this way. In fact, we could stay right here for a few hours of fun."

"Emmett," she shrieked as she stopped and turned toward me. "Are you crazy? It's dirty out here."

"And your point is?" I stopped a few paces from her and smiled as I stared into her eyes.

"Don't look at me like that," there was an edge of warning in her voice, but I decided to ignore it as I stepped closer to her.

"Like what?" I reached out for her.

She turned and ran toward the house as she said, "I'm cleaning up first, and I prefer my bed not a dirty floor."

I laughed as I chased Rose into the house and back up to our room. I was able to grab her around the waist before she was able to shut the bathroom door in my face. As I pulled her close and walked her to the bed, I whispered, "I prefer you as you are."

Afterward, as I lay beside Rose, I decided I would have to starting thinking about the plans for Bella's riding lesson but probably not until the next day because I was more consciously aware of Rose at that moment than of Bella. Besides, I would need time and more concentration to figure out how we would pre-occupy the two people in her life that would ban her from ever riding her motorcycle again. Just as I thought that, I heard Alice and Edward coming through the front door, so I turned my thoughts completely back to Rose and how lovely she looked laying beside me and how much fun it would be to help her clean up.

**AN: Edited and revised chapter 8/09/08**


	5. Chapter 5 Developing Plans

_**AN: The next chapter is ready for your reading pleasure. **_

_**As always, these characters belong to Stephenie Meyer and not to me. Read and review please.**_

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**Developing Plans – Chapter 5**

Early the next morning, I heard Edward and Alice passing our bedroom door, probably on their way to school I thought.

"Do you suppose we'll see them sometime today?" Edward asked Alice as they passed.

"I'm sure of it, but right now we need to hurry and pick up Bella. I have something important I want to talk to her about." Alice replied as she moved further away.

I just barely heard Edward ask, "Like what?"

I only caught part of Alice's response. "Girl stuff . . ."

With them on their way to school, I decided today would be a good day to begin making some plans, but first I would have to tell Rose more about Bella's desire to ride her motorcycle.

"Emmett?" Rose turned toward me, "What exactly did you mean yesterday when you said Bella still wanted to ride that bike?"

"Well, she asked if I would arrange it so she could . . . uhm . . . take sometime to . . . well, finish learning how to ride it." I felt caught off guard, and I hadn't planned to break this bit of news to Rose in this manner.

"What do you mean by 'finish learning how to ride'? I thought Bella already knew how to ride it." She was staring at me intently, seeking the truth I hadn't yet told her.

"Well, it seems like . . . well . . ." I felt flustered and wasn't sure how to reveal the fact that I had agreed to finish giving Bella motorcycle riding lessons. I knew I was going to have to tell Rose, but I had wanted to plan it out and do it my own way in my own time. I wasn't ready for Rose to drag the information out of me.

"Emmett! You're not going to take Bella out on that bike, are you?" She was definitely upset about the idea.

"Well, I kinda agreed to help her."

"You can't. Let Edward do it." She quickly got up from the bed and headed for the closet.

"I can't." I decided I had better follow her.

Rose began pulling out clothes and getting dress. "And just why can't you?"

"Because she doesn't want Edward to know she is going to be riding it." As I also started pulling out clothes and dressing, I decided I wasn't going to let her get mad about this. Besides, I thought this could be a lot of fun. "Look Rose, Bella asked me to help her and not to tell Edward because she thought he might be upset that she was riding the motorcycle. I don't see any harm in helping her, and besides, I would never ruin anyone else's fun."

Rose turned and faced me, "Emmett, do you realize how dangerous this could get?"

"Come on Rose, she already knows something about riding her motorcycle, and so what if Edward doesn't know. Besides, isn't he the one who keeps saying he wants her to experience a normal human life?" I walked over to her as I was speaking.

Even fully clothed, I appreciated how beautiful she looked, and even her anger didn't deter from her beauty. "That's not what I meant," she snapped.

"Well, what did you mean?" Rose could be so vague sometimes.

"I meant this could be dangerous for you as well as for her because you might hurt her." She was poking me in the chest with her finger as her way of emphasizing her anger and concern.

"I'm planning to be careful. I already know how breakable she is and I can't be hurt. Besides, Bella already agreed to dress appropriately and let me buy her some safely equipment." I smiled as I remembered how I compared it to insurance against her being hurt while riding and Edward hurting me if she got hurt.

"What happens if she falls off that bike?"

"I'll just carefully catch her before she hits the ground." What was so hard about that, it would be easy to catch her because of my natural quickness and I would be careful not to grab her too tightly. I felt positive I could do this.

"And just how do you plan on catching her without harming her?"

Her question confused the heck out of me. I thought, 'She must know I'll be extremely careful.'

She must have seen my bewilderment because she then said, "Catch me before I fall," and then she leaned backwards to fall on the floor.

I quickly rushed over and caught her in my arms thinking she was being foolish.

"Emmett, if you hold Bella that tightly you'll crush her."

I just stared at Rose in my arms trying to understand what she meant. I wasn't holding her any harder than usual, so I didn't see how I could hurt Bella. "How would this hurt Bella? I always hold you like this. It's no different than any other time I have you in my arms."

"Yes, but Emmett, I'm not human, so it wouldn't hurt me, but if I were human it would crush me. I don't think you realize your own strength at times. If your going to be around Bella when she falls, and she will fall, then you have to learn how fragile she truly is; your going to need practice handling her before you ever try something as dumb as helping her ride her motorcycle."

"But Rose, I'll be extra careful with her because I don't want to hurt her. I don't think I'll have any problem being careful." It wasn't as if I couldn't control myself. I participated in gym whenever I had to attend high school and I even monitored my strength when throwing things at humans like baseballs and snowballs. Why was Rose concerned I wouldn't be able to control my strength when catching Bella if she fell off her motorcycle?

"You're right, you can be careful when you take time to think about it, but when you have to do something quickly you have a tendency to forget exactly how strong you are. You act first and think later, in the process, you use all your strength. When Bella falls, you'll react quickly without thinking about how much strength you are using, and you can let me go now, I'm done falling." She smiled at me.

"Oh, yeah; I guess I wasn't thinking, or maybe it was because you feel so good in my arms that I just didn't want to let you go." I chuckled as I put her back on her feet. I sometimes wondered if she really understood how much I enjoyed the feel of her in my arms.

"Come on, we have work to do," she said as she headed for the door.

"What kind of work?" I asked.

"You need to practice monitoring and controlling your strength when things happen quickly," she replied as she walked out the door.

"How are we going to do that?" I wondered just what she had in mind, and how was she going to make me practice controlling my strength. As I pondered that, I realized Rose was standing at the top of the stairs waiting for me.

She turned and smiled before saying, "Catch me." This time when she leaned back, it was with the open staircase behind her.

Without thinking, I rushed over and once again caught her before she fell. I knew she wouldn't have been hurt, but the thought of Rose falling down the stairs was too much.

"Emmett," she said as she smiled up at me, "You failed."

"Failed what," I asked bewildered.

"Your first test."

I settled Rose into my arms and carried her down the stair. "Not fair, I wasn't ready."

Rose wrapped her arms around my neck, leaned in, and whispered in my ear, "That's the whole point." Then she kissed me on the cheek.

As we reached the bottom as the stairs, she wriggled out of my arms and headed for the kitchen. "I hope Esme went shopping this week."

I knew Rose wasn't looking for something to eat, so I wondered just what she was looking for as she entered the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. Of late, Esme had been buying some items for when Bella would be able to visit again. What Rosalie was looking for, I wasn't sure, but I watched as she shuffled around the few food items on the shelves and finally brought out two cartons of eggs. She then headed toward the front door, but I stood completely still as I tried to sort out what she had planned.

"Come on," she called over her shoulder, "We have work to do."

I had absolutely no idea what she was planning.

**AN: Edited and revised chapter 8/09/08**


	6. Chapter 6 Practice Doesn't Make Perfects

_**AN: As always, the characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, but the plot twist is mine. Thanks, and have fun with Emmett and Rose.**_

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**Practice Doesn't Make Perfect – Chapter 6**

I had no idea why Rose needed two cartons of eggs, and I didn't expect her to use them to test me, but that was just what she did. As soon as we were out in the yard, she put the cartons on the ground after taking out two or three eggs.

"Emmett, I want you to turn around," I had been facing her, "and when I say catch, I want you to turn and catch what I throw at you. The key is not to break anything."

I wasn't sure I liked the sound of that, but more than anything, I loved a challenge and this was a challenge. I was determined that it would be easy to prove to Rose that I could control my strength anytime I wanted to; in fact, I was so certain that I cockily thought, 'This was going to be easy.'

I couldn't have been more wrong. When Rose said catch, I rapidly spun around and deftly caught the first egg that promptly crushed it between my hands. I quickly decided that if I caught the next one one-hand, I'd use less power, but even thought I could turn within micro-seconds of Rose's command, I still could not catch that stupid egg in such a way that it brake as it landed in my hands. With the third and fourth eggs, Rose gave me a chance to turn my back on her before she lobbed them both toward my face. Without even really thinking about what I did, I reached out and catch each in a separate hand, but the minute I felt them touch my fingers, I knew I was squeezing them too hard because I not only felt the fragile shells cracking but I felt the slime substance oozing into my hand and the through my fingers. The sensation was so disgusting that I felt the pull as I made a face.

Rose erupted in laughter, and then teasingly yelled, "Not as easy as you thought, is it."

Her laughter caused me to growl angry, not at her but at myself for not being able to find a measure of control. I had seen Edward catch Bella numerous times when she tripped, and I had watched him last year not only grab her, but push her out of the way of Tyler's van as it had slid toward her on the ice. I felt a new determination building up within me and decided if Edward could do this then so could I.

With my new determination, I snared, "Don't just stand there; throw me some more."

Rosalie smiled and then quickly ran toward the house as she called over her shoulder, "I'll be right back."

She was gone for only a moment before she returned and picked up two more eggs. "Maybe it would help if you watched the eggs coming at you as you catch them, just so you can gain a modicum of control over your strength."

My response was only a nod as I realized that made some sense. As she threw the next egg, I noticed Esme coming out of the house and heading toward the garage. I have to admit, Esme actions distracted my because without thinking, again, I just stupidly crushed the egg in my hand as I caught it. I was beginning to hate the slimly feel of the eggs as the yolk and whites seeped through my fingers and dripped on the ground. Unthinkingly, I began to wipe my hands on my shirt, only to realize that I was now getting the slimy sticky eggy substance on my favorite t-shirt.

"Pay attention," Rosalie yelled as she threw the next egg, and I watched as it sailed through the air toward me. This time I focused my eyes only on the egg, put my hands outs to prepare for its fall toward me, and I murmured softly, "Easy, be easy," but it didn't help because the minute the egg touched my hand, the shell cracked and its insides spilled out into my hands.

As we worked through the rest of the two dozen eggs, I realized we would run out before I ever caught one without crushing it. The worst part was the fact that Rosalie was doing gently underhanded throws that gave me lots of time to think about what I was doing and I still found that each egg cracked and broke as it hit my hands. I decided today would be a wash out as I saw her pick up and toss the last of the eggs. As it too discharged its slimy contents into my hands, I heard a car pull into the yard, and then into the garage.

For the umpteenth time that morning, I was wiping the slime from my hands onto my shirt as I turned toward the garage and watched Esme exit carrying to grocery sacks. She walked over to Rosalie, set them down on the ground, and said, "I hope this will be enough," before walking into the house.

I just stared at Rose as she reached into the bag and pulled out on item – another dozen eggs. I groaned as I realized Rose had sent Esme to the store to replenish the supply of eggs. It meant she would continue throwing eggs at me until I got this right.

We spent all afternoon on the task, and I broke dozens of eggs before I realized part of my problem was the manner in which I was catching them. I was allowing them to fall into my hands without moving my hands to receive them. It had finally dawned on me that my manner of catching them was the same as if Rosalie had been tossing the eggs to a stone and expecting the stone to catch them. I reasoned that if I started catching them as I would a football or a baseball then I might be able to cushion the fall somewhat. It was mid afternoon when I finally caught one without breaking it. I was so proud of my accomplishment that I didn't notice that Rose threw three eggs at one time. Not only did they break on me, but I also broke the one I had just caught.

"Rose," I roared, "That wasn't fair."

Rose was laughing as she said, "Come on Emmett, you've seen Bella walk. You'll never know when she'll trip or fall so you'll have to be ever so vigilant. The minute you avert one disaster, she'll trip into another one."

Just then, I heard a car, and I turned to see Carlisle returning from work but before I turned fully back toward Rose, I felt an egg hit the side of my face; it left a slimy trail as it slid down the side of my face. Instantly I was on top of Rose and I had her pinned to the ground. As Carlisle walked past he just shook his head and moaned, "Do I even want to ask?" just before he disappeared into the house.

I glared down at Rose, who was still laughing, and growled, "You'll pay for that." Then I gave her my wickedest smile just before attacking her sensitive sides to tickle them. One thing I had discovered ages ago was the fact that Rose was extremely ticklish, and I used it as a way to get revenge whenever she did something I felt was underhanded and dirty. Well, hitting me while I wasn't looking constituted, in my book, an act that was both underhanded and dirty.

Right in the middle of Rose's punishment, I heard another vehicle pulling into the drive, but I noticed this time it was Jasper returning from somewhere. I hadn't seen him much the last few days, so I didn't know what he had been doing to fill in his time while Alice was in school. I felt some sympathy for him knowing he had to endure his days without Alice for company, but my sympathy for him did not extend to Rose. She had still pulled a dirty underhanded trick.

Within the short time span it took to look and see Jasper returning home, Rose managed to use her legs and arms to flip me on my back and was straddling me as Jasper walked by. His only comment before he vanished into the house was, "I don't even want to know."

"Emmett, that was mean." I could tell Rose was trying to pout but she couldn't remove the smile from her lips.

"Not as mean as hitting a man while he isn't looking and in front of Carlisle no less," I replied.

Rose just looked down at me but offered no defense. She looked extremely melancholy at that moment, so I reached up cupping her face in my hands and pulling it down until I could lock my lips on hers. As we continued to kiss, I flipped her around so I was atop her and still kissing her, but I began to work us into a sitting position until I had her comfortably placed in my lap. Just about that time, I heard a third car coming up the drive, and this time, I knew it was Edward and Alice returning home from school.

I wasn't ready for Edward's curiosity to force him to ask about the broken eggs scattered about the yard, so I regrettably pulled my lips off Rose's and got up still holding her. As I placed her in a standing position on the ground, I grabbed her hand, pulled her toward the sack with the remaining eggs, grabbed it, and headed into the woods behind the house. I couldn't let Edward know what was happening. It would ruin everything.

"Emmett, what do you think you're doing?" Rose asked the minute we stopped running and began walking further away from the house.

"Edward can't know what I'm planning, and he was sure to ask about the eggs. What was I suppose to tell him, I'm pretending the egg is Bella and I want to see if I can catch her without breaking her. That would really make him suspicious."

"Why don't you just tell him the truth? He wants Bella to live a normal human life, and it seems as if taking risks and being in danger are all parts of her human life."

"Rose, if he really believed that, then he would have just stayed with her. He thinks he is the one endangering her, but for Bella it doesn't work that way."

"You got that right. She moves from befriending vampires to befriending werewolves. Only Bella could find the two most dangerous non-humans in a small place like Forks, and not only that, she runs off to Italy with Alice to save Edward from the Volturi. Not that I'm not grateful because I really am, but still, that was not a safe place for her and she is lucky she got out alive."

"You have to admit she is brave, reckless, but brave. I don't know any other human who would risk their life in such a manner. In fact, that is the second time Bella has placed herself in danger to save people she loves."

"What do you mean?" Rose stopped and turned to face me.

"Rose, Bella went to meet that tracker intentionally in Phoenix last spring because she thought he had her mother, and she also didn't want to endanger Edward or any of the family, so she went alone. He made a tape of what happened and I saw it. Even as she knew she was facing death, she asked Edward not to do anything but to stay safe. That girl has spunk, and she really cares about others." Rose was listening intently to what I was sharing, and I think she was beginning to realize that Bella wasn't like other humans.

"What else don't I know about Bella?" Rose seemed interested in finally learning more about Bella and I was going to give her as much information as I could.

"Well, besides being a klutz and caring about others, she is really in love with Edward."

"I figured that out when she went to Italy. I don't think she would have gone if she didn't have true feelings for him."

I watched as a slight smile played around her lips. "She's his soul mate. Edward should never have left her. We also know that Edward can't survive without her. Look how miserable he was when he left her, and how miserable he made all of us. She is an essential part of this family now, even if she is a human."

"I think I'm beginning to realize that," Rose admitted. "At first, I didn't think Edward loved her because he could leave her, but I thought wrong. I still don't understand why he did it. He would be so much happier if she were like us. Things would be much easier for all of us."

"It will take something to convince Edward of that. He still believes she would be happier remaining a human, but I don't believe she feels that way." I stopped, put the grocery sack on the ground, and turned toward Rose. "Beside, with her being a human, he can't do this," and I promptly pulled Rose toward me and passionately kissed her.

When Rose and I returned home later that evening with the grocery sack, we found the family in the living room. I noticed that Edward wasn't present for which I was thankful because it meant I wouldn't have to explain the bag with eggs in it.

"I can guess where you two have been. Did you enjoy your outing?" Jasper asked from the sofa with his arm wrapped around Alice's waist.

"Yes, it was very pleasant," I replied and I noticed that Rose just smiled.

"Should I even ask why I had to make a trip to the grocery store for ten dozen eggs?" Esme inquired.

"No, it might be best if you didn't," I replied. "Let's just say Rose set a challenge for me, but I haven't mastered it yet."

"Does that mean I need to go to the store tomorrow and buy more eggs?" Esme asked.

I chuckled as I replied holding up the bag, "No, we still have some left, but we'll probably need more so I'll go and while I'm there I'll also pick up enough to replace the ones we took from the refrigerator."

I heard Alice giggling and Jasper broke out in laughter. Alice knew what we had been doing, I could see it in her expression, but as I had told her before, the less people who know what I was doing the better. I was surprised that Edward hadn't stayed at home waiting to confront me.

"So, where's Edward?" It was best if I learned when to expect him.

"At Bella's until Charlie shows him the door," Jasper supplied.

"He'll be here in about an hour," Alice offered, "and you probably need to create a plausible reason why there are broken eggs all over the front yard." Alice giggled even more.

"What do you suggest?" I was hoping that maybe she saw a reason he would accept or maybe come up with one of her own.

"Well, definitely not the truth. Let me think on it. In the mean time, you two might want to go clean up." Alice was still laughing.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Jasper broke into a hearty laugh and I even saw a smirk on Esme's face.

"Not to be rude dear, but Rosalie looks like she has been rolling in the grass, and Emmett, your cloths are covered with dried eggs." Esme then got up, but before she walked out of the room, she came over to me and said, "You might just tell Edward that you talked Rosalie into playing a new game with you. A challenge that you're working up for him the next time he is able to stay home for the evening." A smile crossed her face just before she added, "Tell him you were practicing so you can thrash him soundly." Then she leaned in and kissed my cheek. "Thank you for going to the store tomorrow; I'll have a list ready for you before you leave," then she turned around and walked into the kitchen.

"That was good of you, Emmett, to volunteer to do the grocery shopping," Jasper laughed. "Now I won't have to do it tomorrow." He continued to laugh as he and Alice got up and headed upstairs.

I growled slightly at the thought of relieving Jasper of the grocery task. It wasn't that I minded helping out – Esme had done so much for all of us over the years. In fact, she was the best mom anyone could ask for. What irritated me was the fact that Jasper could have just said he'd pick up the eggs, especially since he'd known he was going to the store.

I then turned and looked at Rose. Esme was right; Rose did have twigs and leaves in her hair and some tucked into the folds of her clothing. "Come on Rose, I'll race you to the bathroom," I challenged. Since we both needed to clean up, I decided we could clean each other up, and maybe we would be so busy when Edward came home, that he would avoid us. The minute he would try to hear my thoughts, he would pull back and not invade my privacy. Over the years, I had learned that I could keep Edward out of my head, and sometimes just irritate him, if my thoughts were preoccupied with intimate thoughts and details concerning Rose.

I laughed as I realized how much fun this could really be; first, I would be spending time with Rose – with nothing on – and second, I would be frustrating Edward because my thoughts would be focused on things other than the eggs out in the yard.

I decided to keep Esme's story in mind though because eventually Edward would catch me unoccupied and would confront me about the egg incident. It could be fun to challenge Edward to an egg catching competition, but first I would have to practice so I could beat him. I hated losing – especially to Edward; of course, the most important thing in my existence I actually took away from Edward, and I was glad he would never want Rose back because there was no way I would give her up to anyone.

Knowing how I felt about Rose, I began to wonder how Edward could even consider giving Bella up to some other human. If he loved her half as much as I loved Rose, then he should never willing want to allow any other man to be with her. That brought another smile to my face because I had a hunch that if Bella were to choose some other human, he would only be half-human. 'I wonder how Edward would react if Bella choose wolf-boy over him?'

I decided I would keep that little thought in mind in case Edward became a problem. It would be fun to see his reaction when I asked him how he would feel if Bella chose an adolescent werewolf to replace him. I decided that thought would definitely keep him busy for a while, and maybe it would help him to see things more clearly, at least where Bella was concerned.

For the time being though, I decided I would keep myself busy. It's amazing what images can take shape in a man's mind when he begins to envision a bar of soap, running water, and Rose stripped of all her clothing. While chuckling and rushing upstairs with Rose, I told myself, 'Yes, there is no way Edward will ask me anything about the eggs tonight.'

**AN: Edited and revised chapter 8/09/08**


	7. Chapter 7 Rose's Idea

**AN: As always, these characters do not belong to me, they belong to Stephenie Meyer, and I appreciate the fact that she allows us to use them.**

_**I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, and I wish to thank everyone who has taken the time to review this story.**_

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**Rose's Idea – Chapter 7**

After we entered the bathroom, I came up behind Rose and wrapped my arms around her waist, and then I nuzzled her neck and shoulder. "Rose, you smell great." And I meant that. I liked the smell of the pine needles in her hair.

I had always loved the smell of the woods, even as a human. Maybe that's why I enjoyed Forks. There were trees all around; all I had to do was step outside to inhale deeply of the woodsy fragrance that filled the air. The scent especially thrilled me after a good rain. Rose may not have always enjoyed it, but the fragrance of the trees, leaves, and pine needles was one reason why I would lure her into the woods at times just to play. Whenever I could coax her into loosening up and making out on the grass, I would make sure she would be covered with as much scent of the woods as possible.

Standing behind her with the scent of pine needles and leaves filling my senses excited me, so I made sure our 'cleaning up' process took an extended amount of time. I may not speak elegantly like Edward and use words as persuasively as Jasper, but with Rose, I didn't need words. With Rose, I could use my hands and lips to coax her slowly into following my lead. It always amazed me how touching her excited all of my senses. The feel of her skin, the taste of her lips, and the heat we seemed to create as we came together always increased the pleasure of our intimate moments. Edward might talk about the heat he felt from Bella because she was human, but the heat of passion was much more thrilling to experience than the heat of a normal human. Poor Edward, he still did not understand what he was truly missing.

That evening helping Rose to 'clean up' proved so enjoyable an event that although it began in the bathroom it finally ended up in the bedroom. As dawn eventually began to break, my thoughts turned from Rose to the dilemma I was facing with Bella. There had to be some way I could learn to catch her at a moments notice without harming her. I knew we could monitor and regulate our strength; the problem for me seemed to be timing. If I didn't have enough time to think about what I was doing before I did it, then I didn't think about how much force and strength I was using.

"Emmett," I could hear a protest in Rose's voice. "What's distracting you?"

I hadn't realized that I had suspended my actions as I thought about my problem. I chuckled a little at the realization that Jasper was right when he said I could only focus on one thing at a time even though I was a vampire and vampires were suppose to be able to focus on multiple thoughts at one time. I never really believed him when he first told me that a few years ago. Maybe that's because I never had two pressing matters to focus on at one time. Now I did have two pressing matters, Bella's motorcycle lesson, and Rose's physical pleasures.

"Sorry," I offered, "I was thinking."

"Obviously not about me or what you were just in the process of doing," she shot back.

"I am sorry, Rose. Yesterday just popped back into my thoughts, and there just has to be some way I can work out the problem I have with using too much strength."

"You're thinking about 'her' again. What about me? I feel like I'm being forgotten." Rose pouted.

I looked at her lying beneath me and noticed how milky white and smooth her skin looked and how tempting her physically features were. I wondered how I could have been distracted from her alluring beauty and tempting delights to think about anything but finishing what I had started. I smiled at her as I began to resume our activities of a few moments ago, and I whispered softy, "I'll never forget you Rose. My mind may wonder, but my senses and emotions are fully focused on you at this very moment," and she moaned softly as I caressed her. Fleetingly I wondered how much strength did I use when I touched Rose sensually, but then I was caught up in my actions and her responses that my mind once again focused only on her and my enjoyment of her.

As mid-morning rolled around and Rose was running her hand up and down my arm while I was holding her close, she said, "Emmett, it's time to get up."

I was so enjoying her touch that all I managed was a murmured "humm."

Rose stopped her hand mid-way up my arm. "I'm serious. Edward and Alice are gone and you promised Esme you would go to the store for her."

I groaned slightly; I had forgotten that promise.

Rose wrenched herself from my arms, quickly left the bed, and shot over her shoulder as she headed to the closet to get dressed, "Come on Emmett. Don't keep me waiting."

I was up and across the room with my arms wrapped around her waist in an instant. "Are you coming to the store with me?" I kissed her soft neck as I waited for her reply.

"Yes, and we'll stop along the way because I have something I want to try." She was pulling away from me again, but her comment did help me focus on something other than her tempting body.

"Like what?"

"You'll see," she replied as she began dressing.

I noticed she chose a pair of tight fitting jeans and one of my shirts. It was unlike Rose to dress in my clothes, unless she didn't want to get hers dirty. That made me wonder what she had in mind. "Rose, what do you have in mind?"

Rose had finished dressing and headed out of the room as she said, "The sooner you're dressed, the sooner you'll find out," and then she walked out the door.

I was dressed and downstairs at the same time she was. She had perked my interest and I wanted to know what she was planning. It was times like this when I thought it would be helpful to have Edward's ability to hear people's thoughts, but from the look on Rose's face, I knew she would wait until she was ready before she would tell me anything.

"Esme." We had all learned over time that the fastest way to find anyone in such a large house was just to call out their name.

Esme's reply came from the kitchen. "I'm glad you both decided to leave the confines of your room. I'm beginning to wonder who you're hiding from, but then I have a guess already." She smiled at us both as we walked into the kitchen. "I have the shopping list all made out. It shouldn't take too long; there's just enough to make people less curious about how I could have a house full of teenagers and not visit the grocery store more often."

"We might be a little while before we get back because I have an errand to do, but we'll make sure we go to the store after the errand is completed. I wouldn't want any of the food to spoil." Rose commented as she took the shopping list from Esme.

Esme just smiled as she said, "Well, have a good time and I'll see you when you get back."

Once again, I wanted to ask Rose about the errand she had in mind, but she was out the door before I could ask her anything, so I just quickly followed her.

I notice Rose made a detour to the garage, but I had no idea why. Once inside, I notice she was standing by the motorcycle.

"Well, don't just stand there, put the motorcycle in the back of the truck," she ordered. Then she quickly turned and left.

I had no idea what she had in mind this time, so I did as she ordered and carried the motorcycle outside and placed it in the bed of the truck. Rose was already in the cab waiting for me, and as I climbed in, she gave me directions to where she wanted to go. My curiosity was peaked, and I wanted to ask what it was all about, but the set of her mouth and chin told me she wouldn't tell my anything until she was ready. I knew that look; I had seen it before, and I didn't need to read her mind to know she wouldn't have let any stray thoughts slip out if Edward had been around.

The drive took a little less than twenty minutes, but we ended up on a dirt road deep in the forest. After I parked, and before I could exit the truck, Rose said, "Take the motorcycle out of the back and I will explain what we'll do today." Then she got out of the truck.

As quickly as possible, I placed the motorcycle on the road beside Rose, and then waited for her to fill me in on her plans. She pulled a hair clip out of her pocket, as she began to speak, and began to gather her hair in a bun on the back of her head. "What I propose for today does not involve throwing eggs." Her comment only provided with a temporary sense of relief for she continue, "Instead, I thought I would pretend to be Bella and you just have to catch me before I fall off the motorcycle and damage myself but remember to monitor your strength. I thought this would be more realistic than the eggs, although that was fun." She laughed as she added the last.

I couldn't help but smile because even thought I didn't enjoy the egg throwing part as much as she did, I did enjoy its aftermath. "For you maybe." I replied. "I never liked eggs much as a human and I definitely like them even less after yesterday. I like this idea better. I don't think Bella is as fragile as those eggs were. Besides, when you're on the motorcycle, I'll be able to see ahead of time when you might fall off."

Rose's smile widened, and it made me think she was hiding something from me.

"Rose, what aren't you telling me?"

She ran a finger down my cheek sending pleasant sensations shooting through me. It never failed to surprise me how even her lightest touch could arose such feeling in me. "You'll find that predicting what's going to happen isn't as easy as you think it is," she finally said, and with that, she mounted the motorcycle.

Rose was right. The first time down the dirt road, she began to tip, and thinking she was actually tipping over, I rushed over to catch her only to discover she had intentionally leaned to the side to make it look like she was about to wipe out but then righted herself at the last minute.

We spent the next two hours with Rose falling off and almost falling off the motorcycle. She would do it in such a way that I was unable to tell if she was falling until it actually happened. Rose was extremely good at deception; unfortunately, I wasn't very good at catching her gently. Well, it was gentle for her, but she assured me it would not be gentle for Bella. No matter how careful I tried to be, all I could think about was Rose getting hurt, and in order to prevent it, I would grab her as quickly as possible without thinking about how much strength I used. I was discovering that this was not going to be as easy as I first thought it would be, and then I wondered if maybe we should have stuck with the egg tossing.

It was a good thing Rose couldn't be hurt easily, or I would have taken her home bruised and possibly broken. That was something I could not afford to do with Bella when it was her turn on the motorcycle. She had assured me she had learned to ride it, but knowing Bella, I was positive she would fall off a few times before she managed to keep the bike upright for any prolonged period of time.

Rose finally called a halt to our activities. "Emmett, I commend you for the effort you're putting forth, but I wonder if it was wise of you to offer your help."

"I'm not backing out now Rose. I made a promise and I'm going to keep it. I just have to find some way be more careful around Bella."

"Well, I say let's call it a day for now. We can come out tomorrow and try again. Besides, we still have to go to the store for Esme."

"You're right, and I think we had better be home when Edward arrives, or else he is going to pick my mind for why I'm hiding from him. I just have to stay focused on something other than Bella's lesson."

Rose smiled, "I think I have a solution for that. Come on, we'll need to get home before he does because I'll need a little time to get ready."

As Rose climbed into the truck and I stowed the bike in the back, I began to wonder what she meant when she said she had a solution but needed time to get ready. I was going to ask her about it when I got in the truck, but she stopped me by pulling out Esme's grocery list and deciding we would divide it up so we could do the shopping faster.

Rose was right about dividing the list in half; it took less time and we arrived home in plenty of time for her to get ready. In fact, she spent the next half hour in the bathroom, and when she came out, I knew the wait was worthwhile. She had fixed her hair, applied makeup sparingly but in all the right places, and the short shorts and skimpy plunged neckline top she wore kept my mind pleasantly occupied with visions only of her. When Edward and Alice arrived home, they found us on the sofa, Rose in my lap and some sappy movie on that Rose had chosen. I wasn't even sure what we had been watching because my eyes had been busy staring at Rose rather the television screen.

Edward's first words as he entered the living room were, "Emmett, if you could take your mind out of Rose's cleavage for a moment, I have something I want to ask you."

I just smiled as I looked up and Edward and imaged what Rose would look like as I slowly removed that sexy top. I knew that would keep Edward out of my mind. I wasn't sure what Rose was thinking, but I saw a smile spread across her lips as well, and Edward just rolled his eyes at us.

"Ask away, little brother. I'm all ears."

Rose laughed as Edward replied, "More like all eyes and eventually hands."

"Well, she's my wife, so I have rights in that area," and under my breath but into Rose's ear, I whispered, "more than some people around here have."

"Yes, well, she's my sister and it's rather disgusting to know what you're thinking. And by the way, I heard that," he shot back.

"Then stay out of my mind." I decided he was wasting time, so I added, "What was it you wanted to ask?"

"What is Bella planning, and why were there broken eggs on the lawn yesterday?"

I had almost forgotten about the eggs, and then I remember what Esme suggested. "I came up with a new challenge for you, but before I presented it, I wanted to practice. I thought the next night you decide to grace us with your presence, we might try it out." I wasn't sure if he bought my story, but I didn't care because I thought it would be a good idea. Maybe he would be just as bad as I was at catching eggs, but maybe I had practiced enough that I would win a competition against him.

"And Bella?"

"No, I don't think Bella would like this game." I replied, as my eyes must have wondered back to Rose.

"Emmett, focus on what I'm asking and stop looking at Rose." He growled.

I hadn't realized I was staring at her. I looked directly at him so I could focus for a moment. "What was the question again?"

"What is Bella planning?"

I laughed as I thought, 'maybe she's planning on what I'm planning.' Of course I knew that wasn't true, but I didn't want Edward to hear any thoughts about the bike. "I didn't know she was planning anything. I haven't seen Bella since . . ." I paused as if to think about when I saw her last, and then finally concluded, "well, when she asked me to take her bike home with me."

I added the unspoken words, 'And just what are you planning to do with her?' just to irate him, but if he answered, I planned to give him some very good suggestions about what they could do together, but it would require Edward to give Bella what she wants – a life together forever.

Edward only growled as he left the room and I turned my focus back on Rose.

"I guess it worked," she said just before she kissed me passionately.

**AN: Edited and revised chapter 8/09/08**


	8. Chapter 8 Big Brother

**_AN: All characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer and I take no credit for their creation. _**

**_I wish to thank everyone who has taken the time to review this story, and thanks for the encouragement and the kind words. _**

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**Big Brother – Chapter 8**

Edward didn't bother me for the next few days, and I spent them with Rose trying to catch her without being too rough or strong. I failed every time; I was becoming very frustrated. I kept reminding myself that I couldn't fail, and I couldn't let Bella down. The week was nearly over and I had nothing to report to Bella. I saw myself as a big brother failure. Bella had only asked me one favor, and I didn't want her to think that I'd let her down. Rose knew I was being extra hard on myself, and she tried to be encouraging, but every time I reached out to catch her as she fell, my mind would remind me it was Rose and I couldn't let any harm come to her. She was my angel, my love, my life, and nothing was allowed to hurt her.

The time I was spending with Rose was helping me see things about Bella from Edward's point of view. He loved her to distraction, and he couldn't and wouldn't allow any one or anything to hurt her. I felt the same way about Rose. It was as if I was the only protector she had, and it would be my fault if something happened to her. I realize if I felt that way about Rose then Edward had to feel the same way about Bella. In my case, however, I didn't have to worry about hurting Rose physically by what I did. Bella, being a human, was another matter. Anything I did too roughly could cause her serious injury or could be fatal for her. I realized how carefully Edward had to monitor himself every moment he was with her. It had to be hard for him, and in a way, I really did admire his will power, not only having to be extra careful not to hurt her but also to resist her blood and probably her body at the same time.

I would never tell Edward this, but he was much better than I would ever be with his self-restraint.

On Friday afternoon, Rose parked the motorcycle, and said, "This isn't working. We . . ."

"I can't stop Rose. I can't fail." I felt like throwing a tantrum by kicking out at something, but before I could, she grabbed my shoulders.

"Stop it Emmett! I'm not asking you to quit, so just listen. I've been thinking about this for a while and it's obvious you can't catch Bella if she falls off the motorcycle . . . no, don't interrupt," she must have seen that I was about to protest again. "Look, I have another proposal. Like I said, I have thought about this and realized you will never be able to catch Bella, but what if you caught the motorcycle instead?"

"And how will that stop Bella from being hurt?" I could just see her sliding on the gravel road and the gravel tearing her skin. Not only would she be hurt, but she would also start bleeding. I didn't know how I would react to that.

"Didn't you say you were going to have Bella wear some protective gear? If she has a good thick pair of jeans and a long sleeve sensible shirt, then you're half way there. All you need are a few more things. I would suggest the same equipment children wear when riding bicycles. A good set of knee and elbow pads would help a lot and a helmet of course."

"What about her hands?"

"Leave that to me. I know just the thing."

"Maybe I should get her some shoulder pads like the football players wear."

Rose laughed and hit my shoulder.

"What was that for?" I asked in mock pain and held the spot she hit.

"Emmett, she'll fall over before she ever gets on the bike. No, shoulder pads are out." Then she kissed my cheek. "Come on, we have work to do."

I just stared at her.

"Emmett, we need to practice more, but this time you'll catch the motorcycle instead of me." With that, she mounted the motorcycle again.

We spent three more hours on the dirt road, and this time I was able to catch the motorcycle without damaging it and still stop Rose from getting hurting. I knew Rose wouldn't really have been hurt, but the thought still lingered in my mind that she might be if I didn't protect her. When we finally stopped, I felt relieved. I knew this would work, and I wouldn't have to let Bella down. We would be able to have her lesson as soon as I could come up with a plan to lure both Charlie and Edward away from home on the same day, and I had to find a reason why Bella needed to come over to our house.

On the drive home, I relayed my concerns to Rose about actually planning a day for the lesson. I shared with her everything I hoped to arrange, but had no ideas about how to arrange them. When we arrived home, it was later than normal, but it turned out to be a good thing because Edward had already left to spend some time with Bella.

As we walked into the house, Esme invited me into the dining room to talk. Rose said she would see me later, and I followed Esme and sat down in a chair across from her.

"Emmett, I'm a little concerned about what has been going on for the past week. You know I generally allow all of you free reign and I try not to interfere in your affairs. For all intent and purposes, you're all grown-ups, but there are times when the mother in me can't help but come out." She smiled at me and I knew from her look she was hoping I would listen.

There was no question about that; I couldn't help but listen whenever she started to talk to me like a son. There was something comforting and reassuring about knowing I had a mother who did care about me and my welfare, so whenever Esme sat down with me to talk, I listened.

"I know you've been avoiding Edward as much as possible all week, and I watched while Rose was tossing eggs at you a few days ago. I also know that you and Rose have had Bella's motorcycle out for the last few days, and after putting everything together, I think I've a pretty good idea about what's being planned."

I was about to protest, saying it was best for her not to know, but she stopped me by raising her hand, palm facing toward me. It was enough of a stop gesture that I closed my mouth and was willing to hear what she had to say before I said anything.

"Wait, before you say anything, please just hear me out. I figure this has something to do with Bella, and it must be something very important or you wouldn't be putting so much time and effort into it, so I'm not going to tell you to stop. What I really want to talk to you about is Bella. We all know how special she is to Edward and how special she is to the rest of us as well. The last thing I want to see is something bad happening to her. If Edward were actually to lose her, I don't think this family would be able to pull him through the loss this time. I also don't want to see this family suffer again like it did when Edward left Bella."

I could agree with her on both points because I also didn't want to see anything bad happen to Bella, that was why I'd been working so hard all week.

"Emmett, I want you to treat Bella as if she really were your little sister and do everything in your power to protect her. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am, and to put you more at ease, that's exactly how I feel about Bella. She is my little sister, and I would never do anything to harm her. Everything I've been doing this week is to help me learn to be more careful around her. I don't think there's anyone in the family who wants to see harm come to Bella. She's more like family now than ever before, and every one of us would like to see her as part of the family." Esme had a skeptical look on her face. "I know, Rose voted no, but it wasn't because she didn't want Bella as part of the family. I think for Rose that it was more to keep Bella from losing what she wished she had never lost. Rose still regrets not being human, probably more than the rest of us, but she doesn't really hate Bella; she just doesn't fully understand her."

"I glad you feel like a brother to her. I'm just hoping that whatever it is that you're planning won't cause harm to any of you. I don't like to see any of my children hurt, and that includes Bella."

I reached across the table and took Esme's hand. She was such a good mother, nobody could ever ask for a better one, and she had all those motherly instincts, even the part about knowing when you're planning something that might be dangerous. "I assure you that I wouldn't even go through with this if I thought there was any danger for Bella involved. At least, any danger that I might cause, as to the danger Bella walks into . . . Well, being Bella we can only hope I can be as protective of her as Edward is. I do promise you that I'll do everything in my power to keep her safe." I was hoping she would be a little reassured by what I had said.

"You're a good son, and I know you'll be a good brother to Bella." Her smile brightened her face, and I could tell her mood had lightened somewhat. Jasper might have a power over the emotions of other, but there were times when I could sense what a person was feeling, and I knew Esme had been feeling worried when she first started talking to me. She wasn't feeling much of that any more.

"I'll be the best brother Bella could ever want," I assured her. "In fact, I feel so strongly about being a good brother that once I make Bella a promise, I'll not break that promise, and I'm willing to do whatever is necessary help her out with this small task she's asked of me."

Esme laughed softly. "If it's such a small task, why do you need extra time preparing yourself for this task?"

"Well, let's just say, it's a small task in Bella's eyes, and mine too at first, but it has proven to be one of the harder tasks I've undertaken recently." I smiled back at her wondering how confusing she found my explanation.

"Emmett, when it's all over, promise that you'll tell me all about it. I think I may find it very amusing after what I've seen going on lately."

"That's a promise, mom." I didn't call her mom often, but at that moment, it felt right.

**AN: Edited and revised chapter 8/09/08**


	9. Chapter 9 The Family's Plan

**AN: Just so this isn't confusing for anyone, thoughts are in single quotation marks rather than in italics.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****Twilight**** or ****New Moon**** and all characters are the sole property Stephenie Meyer.**

**With that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter of "My Little Sis." If you don't review, I don't know if anyone enjoyed this chapter. **

**I hope everyone enjoys how this story is progressing.**

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**The Family's Plan – Chapter 9**

I joined Rose in the bedroom as soon as Esme was finished talking to me. I found Jasper and Alice already in the room discussing something with Rose.

"Emmett," Rose began, "Alice and Jasper want to offer their help with your little project."

'This might prove helpful,' I thought. Besides, it wasn't as if they didn't already know what I was planning, and Alice could prove useful if she saw anything dangerous occurring. "So, what do you have in mind?" I asked.

"Jazz may have solved the problem of getting Charlie out of the house," Alice offered.

I looked over at Jasper rather amazed. I wasn't sure what he had in mind, but it would definitely save me from trying to figure out how to eliminate Bella's father as an obstacle to her lesson.

"Well, when Alice first told me about her vision, I wasn't sure if any of this was a good idea. No offense Emmett, but you're the last person I ever imagined Bella would ask to help her. I generally have the feeling she is a little afraid of you. Of course that might have changed since last fall; now she seems to prefer the riskier and more dangerous elements that seem to surround her." He hesitated slightly before he continued, "Anyway, it is obvious you are taking this more seriously than I thought possible. I've seen you practicing with Rosalie, and I know how hard it has been for you to try to restrain your strength. With all the work you have put into this, I thought maybe I could find a way to help remove Charlie from the picture so you would have the day free with Bella."

Wow, I was rather impressed that Jasper had even noticed what Rose and I had been doing. Usually he had his nose in a book and ignored us. I couldn't wait to hear what he had come up with as a solution. "So, what do you have planned?"

"Well, actually," he paused as he looked at Alice and I notice her squeezing his hand. I learned years ago that this was her way of reassuring him. "It's already been set up."

"For when?" His comment surprised me even more.

"Next Saturday. Charlie is going fishing with a professor from the University of Washington."

"How did that happen?"

Jasper smiled. "Well, I've been spending sometime around Newton's Outfitters and the police station trying to feel out who might be useful. Charlie has been extremely reluctant to accept some of the fishing offers from the other officers at the station, but then I heard someone asking Mr. Newton one day if there were any good fishing spots in the area. Of course, he said Chief Swan would know of all the best places. As I was listening to their conversation, I recognized the professor as the newest addition to the psychology department at UW in Seattle."

That didn't surprise me because Jasper was the one who kept up on all the educational news, but it surprised me he would hang around the sporting goods store. It surprised me even more when he revealed that he had spent time interacting with humans. Considering his problems with our diet, I was impressed he had gone to such lengths to be helpful.

"Anyway, before he walked out of the store, I introduced myself to him and asked how he liked his new job at the university. He was impressed that I knew who he was, and we ended up talking for about half an hour about college and psychology. Then I told him I had overheard his conversation with Mr. Newton and offered to introduce him to Chief Swan. I mentioned that the Chief's daughter and my fiancé were best friends."

"You told him I was your fiancé?" Alice asked as a huge smile spread across her face.

"Well, yeah. It didn't seem right to say you were my girlfriend, and I don't think of you as a sister and to tell him you're my wife might cause problems if he mentioned it to Charlie."

"So, when's the wedding?" Rose beamed.

I could tell we would have to have one; Rose would begin planning it as soon as possible. Even Alice seemed pleased with the idea. I knew that would mean numerous shopping trips.

"Gee, this is so sudden," Alice snickered. "And Jazz hasn't officially asked yet." I watched her playfully teasing Jasper with her comment. "Have you ask Carlisle for my hand, and just when were you planning to propose?"

"Wait," I held up my hand. "Let's get one plan completed before we begin another." I could see Rose and Alice would take over this conversation if I let them. "Now, what exactly happened that Charlie agreed to go fishing with a total stranger?"

"Well, Professor Minsk accepted my offer, so we went down to the police station and I introduced him to Charlie, and told Charlie the little bit about the professor that I already knew. Then the professor began talking to him about fishing and the best places to fish, and they seemed to enjoy each other company."

"Yah, and what did you do to help it along?" 'That was too simple,' I thought. Jasper had to have used his skill to help it along.

"I only nudged it a little. They didn't need much help because of their shared interest. Of course before going to see Charlie, I also mentioned to the professor that my brother and the Chief's daughter were dating, but that Charlie had some reservations about the relationship and had enforced some severe curfew rules on Bella."

"Why did you tell him that?" I knew Jasper didn't do anything without a very good reason.

"Well, it just so happens that Professor Minsk worked as a family therapist and his main focus of interest was parents of teenagers. I thought it might help if he knew a little bit about Charlie and Bella, and maybe he might offer some advice to Charlie while they're fishing. Maybe Charlie will loosen up a little on Bella and Edward."

"That might not be such a bad idea. If there were fewer restrictions on their time together, maybe Edward won't be quite as upset with me when he finally discovers that I took Bella out on her motorcycle." I knew eventually he'd find out, but my hope was that it would be after the lesson was all over.

"So you know he's going to find out?" Rose and Jasper asked simultaneously.

"Bound to happen," I replied. "I can't keep it hidden from him forever. At some point, I know he'll hear a stray thought, if not from me than from someone else. Of course, if Bella hurts herself, then . . . well, best not to go down that road right now."

"That reminds me," Jasper handed me a sack he had brought in with him. "These are for Bella. I saw them while I was in the sporting goods store, and I decided they would be my contribution to the 'keep Bella safe' efforts."

I opened the sack and saw a pair of gloves inside. As I pulled them out, Rose snatched them out of my hand.

"These are really nice Jasper. They are tough enough to keep her hands protected, but soft enough not to hinder her driving ability." I saw a small frown cross Rose's face.

"I should hope so. I told Mr. Newton they were for my sister who was planning on learning to ride a motorcycle and I wanted to make sure her hands didn't get scratched up if she fell." He chuckled softly before continuing, "He told me that I might want to encourage my sister to stay away from motorcycles because they were dangerous."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't tell him they were for Bella. I wouldn't want Charlie to discover that she's planning to ride it again. You know, he was overly harsh with her when he discovered she had a motorcycle. She told me about the lecture he gave her after he found it in the driveway." It also might have been disastrous if he had mentioned the gloves to his son, because he might have been foolish enough to say something about them at school in front of Edward.

"Okay, is this fishing trip definite now?" Rose asked handing the gloves back to me.

"Yes, I went by the station yesterday to pass on a message to Chief Swan from Alice . . ."

Alice interrupted by asking, "What message?"

"Why the one about having Bella come over next Saturday to study; I had to have some excuse to walk into the station to talk to him." He kissed Alice check. "He asked me if Edward would be around, but I assured him Edward would be off on a camping trip. Then he told me he planned to go fishing with the professor that day and that he wouldn't mind if Bella spent some time with you," he finished as he looked directly at Alice. He turned back to me as he continued, "See, now you can take Bella out with her motorcycle. The only thing left is to decide who'll take Edward hunting."

"I guess the only choice is you and I," Rose told Jasper. "Alice has to be here to study with Bella, and Emmett has to remain so he can take Bella out on her motorcycle. We might ask Esme if she would like to come along, but I think Carlisle is scheduled to work that day." A small laugh escaped from her. "It's a good thing he will be around, just in case."

"Don't even think that way Rose. You've helped me learn a way to prevent any major injuries to Bella, and I'll be extremely careful around her. Nothing bad will happen; you'll see." I tried to sound as confident as possible, but in the back of my mind, a small voice whispered, 'But it's Bella!'

"What do you see, Alice?" Rose asked.

"So far I haven't seen any major or minor injuries occurring for Bella," she told Rose. Then she turned to me, "but if anything new develops Emmett, I'll let you know. So, when do you tell Bella that the lesson is all arranged?"

"Tuesday, I heard Edward saying something to Esme about Bella working on Tuesday, and I can use that time to pick up some more safely equipment for her."

"What kind of safely equipment?" I noticed a hint of concern in Alice's voice.

"Don't worry, Rose has already made a list for me, but I still think," I continued as I looked at Rose, "that the shoulder pads would have been a useful addition."

Alice snickered at my comment, and Jasper outright laughed at the idea. I decided that Rose had been right when she said they would be too much.

"Now, about that wedding," Rose said to Alice, and I knew that was my cue to quietly slip out of the room.

**AN: Edited and revised chapter 8/09/08**


	10. Chapter 10 What Emmett Wants

_**AN: First, I have no claim of ownership to any of these character, they all belong to Stephenie Meyer**_

_**Second, as a thank you for your reviews and kind words, here is a second chapter for this week.**_

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**What Emmett Wants – Chapter 10**

"Emmett," Rose pouted, "I wanted to buy the gloves for Bella."

We were lying on the bed waiting for Edward to leave. He planned to spend the entire day at Bella's house. Jasper and Rose had already made plans with him to go hunting over the weekend. To deter him from asking why I wasn't going, Alice and I had chosen to go out hunting right after our little meeting and the planning of the wedding. We didn't return until early Sunday morning.

The wedding idea had surprised me. Jasper and Alice didn't make a habit of marrying every few years as Rose did. I knew Rose enjoyed being the center of attention, and I figured that was one reason she enjoyed being married so often. For me, the best part was the honeymoon, so I never said no when Rose wanted to get married again.

I laid on side with my arm bent at the elbow resting on the bed and my head propped in my hand as I watched Rose. I loved the way her lips pursed when she pouted. They always looked so damn kissable. I raised myself up, used my arms to pull my body toward her, and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. "Could you buy her something else?"

Rose's face became more serious. "Maybe. I suppose Alice and I could go shopping; maybe in Seattle." Rose lost her pout and a wide smile spread across her face. "We could look at wedding dresses at the same time." She rose from the bed as she said that.

"Rose," I said softly as I watched her.

"Yes," she turned toward me.

"Have fun," I smiled lovingly at her. I knew I wouldn't see her until late tomorrow. When those two went shopping, well, it was scary. I knew she would spend the rest of the day making plans with Alice and they'd wait until late tonight to drive to Seattle. Being Sunday, no specialty shops would be open.

Rose slowly walked back toward me, took my face between her slender graceful hands, and gently kissed me. "I love you Emmett."

I smiled back at her and replied, "I know." I watched her put a sway and bounce in her steps as she left the room. I loved her flirtatious walk, and I knew she did it intentionally to excite me, and it inspired me to find some special way to welcome her home after her shopping trip.

I wanted to plan something romantic, so I ran up to Edward's room. If anyone could help, it would be him. When Bella first entered his life, he discovered what romance was, but since they both returned from Italy, he spent more time romancing Bella. No matter what anyone else thought, I believed he was using romance as a way to apologize to Bella for all the hurt he caused her. Now, he was all about romance.

As I approached his door, I heard him moving around.

"Good, you're still here," I announced as I barged through his door and sauntered into his room.

"Humph," he snorted and returned to rummaging around in his closet.

"Edward, I need some help." I emphasized as I sat down on his leather couch. I noticed that Bella's scent still lingered in the room even though she hadn't been here for some time.

"Emmett, you've been avoiding me all week. For what reason, I'm still trying to discover. Now, all of a sudden, you want my help." There was a bite to his tone as he turned and looked at me. "Why?"

"Well, I want to do something romantic for Rose, and I thought maybe you could help."

"Help, why should I help?" He gave me a skeptical look.

"Well, you're my brother, and you should be happy to lend me a hand." I smiled at him trying to create the right mood.

"Emmett, I'm not good at creating sexual fantasies." He turned back to continue his hunt for whatever it was that he was looking for.

"No, you're not," I chuckled. Then I took a more serious tone. "But you are good at romance. I want something romantic. What do you do for Bella that's romantic?"

Edward turned back toward me. "Emmett, I don't think Rose would enjoy the same things as Bella."

"That's okay," I offered. "You give me some ideas, and I'll take it from there." I chuckled as I envisioned were it could go from there.

"Emmett," Edward warned, "If you want my help, please avoid adding graphic details."

I could tell he had seen what I had envisioned, and I chuckled more. If Edward were capable of blushing, I'd bet my bank account that what he'd seen would've made him blush.

"I'll help you on one condition." He walked toward me, his expression becoming serious.

I'd learned from previous experience never to say yes to Edward without first learning what he expected in return. "What's the condition?"

"Tell me why you've been avoiding me this past week."

"I'm not avoiding you; I've just been spending some quality time with Rose." At least it was half true.

"Then why all the secrecy?" He challenged.

"What secrecy?" I could challenge and bluff as well as he could.

"Everyone has closed their minds off to me: you, Rose, Alice, Jasper, and even Esme of late." He was almost in my face. "I know all of you are hiding something from me, and I want to know what it is."

I knew Edward was mad, but I decided to make light of it because if I became serious then he would definitely know I was holding something back. "Edward, not everything is about you. If it seems like I've been avoiding you, it's because I've been busy with other things. This week I've spent a lot of time with Rose. In fact, it has been a special week for both of us. Actually," I felt myself becoming a little more serious. "I've had a new experience with Rose this week and I've actually discovered a new depth to her personality and," I felt a pleased smile turning up my lips, "I've really enjoyed the time she and I have shared together this week." I fought back the urge to picture Rose on the motorcycle and catching her in my arms, but with a little snicker, I did imagine her early this morning as we first laid down in bed after I returned home from hunting.

"That's _your_ story, what about everyone else?" I noticed he was still standing close.

"I don't know. Maybe they were having private moments they didn't want you viewing much like Rose and I were." I noticed his frown was deepening. He wasn't pleased with my answer, and I was getting frustrated with his interrogation. "Hell, Edward, maybe they're just tired of you spying into their lives." I finally yelled. Sometimes Edward could get on my nerves, but we were really closing him out this past week and at no fault of his own. "Look, all I wanted was a simple romantic suggestion. Something special I could do for Rose. I didn't mean to come in here and yell at you, but sometimes, Edward, you can get annoying."

With a frown, Edward commented, "And how do you think I feel Emmett," he sat down beside me with a decided droop to his shoulders, "when everyone in my own family seems to be avoiding me."

I turned toward him, "Maybe we're not avoiding you as much as you're hardly home." I watched the frown deepen on his face. "Edward, we all understand why you're not home very often. Heck, I'd be living in her room all the time if I were in your shoes." I paused as I realized that wasn't quite true. "No, if I was in your situation, I would've run off with her, changed her, married her, and lived happily forever, or worse yet, I might have drained her blood the first day I met her." Edward emitted a low growl. "Look, I'm not as strong as you are when it comes to resisting; I have to admit it, Edward, I'm weak in that area, but I also have to admit that Bella is worth all the effort you have put into resisting her. The two of you were meant for each other."

"Okay, Emmett, maybe everyone isn't avoiding me, even though it feels like it," I noticed he mumbled the last part softly under his breath. "But, if I find out you've been hiding something from me . . ."

It was best just to cut him off. "Edward, the only thing I hide from you, and sometimes not very well, is what Rose and I do with our time alone. Besides, you might go blind if you saw some of the things we did." I knew my mind was wandering to some of the more choice encounters we had had lately.

"Stop Emmett! I've already told you, I don't want to see Rose like that. It's disgusting; she's my sister."

"Oh come on Edward, don't tell me you don't ever imagine Bella in situations like that." 'He loved her, how could he not,' I thought, but then I made the mistake of dwelling on what he might imagine in relation to Bella, and I instantly understood why Edward was upset when I had such images of Rose. As I heard Edward emit a low growl, I hit him across the shoulders.

"Hey!" Edward roared. "What was that for?"

"Don't you ever have images of Bella like that," I warned. "I don't think I like the idea of anyone imagining my little sister like that."

"Emmett, that was your image, not mine."

"Yah, but I know how the male mind works. You be more respectful where my sis is concerned."

Edward laughed, "Now you know how I feel when you throw some of those graphic images of Rose at me."

'I'd have to be more careful of that in the future,' I thought. Of course, I probably wasn't the only one who imagined their wife like that. I hadn't thought before about the fact that the other males in the family might have like images on their minds, but he was right; I wouldn't want to see the images they have either. For once, I was truly grateful I didn't have Edward ability. "Fair enough," I offered. "So, will you help me?"

Edward looked thoughtful for a moment. "Tell you what, I'll ask Bella about it and when Charlie throws me out of the house tonight, I'll come home with some ideas. Maybe you and I can sit down and develop a plan. I'll let Bella know I'll be a little late returning tonight, but I'll explain why."

I got up from the couch and headed toward the door, "Thanks Edward, I do appreciate the help," and before I left his room, I turned and added, "You take good care of my little sister. I don't' want to hear that you've hurt her feelings."

Edward just chuckled as I left the room, but I was just fully realizing how much I really did consider her 'my little sis.'

Edward kept his word, and after returning home, he and I spent an hour going over some of the options he and Bella had churned out. Edward chuckled as he explained how Bella and he sat in the living room throwing out ideas while Charlie was in the room. Finally, Charlie looked over at them and asked what they were doing. Edward explained, "I told Charlie you asked me for some ideas for a romantic evening with Rose. One idea Bella had mentioned concerned 'dining' on grizzly bear, loosely speaking of course. Charlie only heard part of the conversation and asked Bella why she thought Rose would find it romantic to watch you hunting a grizzly bear. Since Charlie doesn't know about our diet, he misunderstood her meaning. I'm not sure why, but Charlie's comment caused Bella to laugh so hard that she had tears rolling down her cheek."

It was times like that when I wished I could tag along with Edward because Bella could be so amusing. I wondered if she had also turned that humorous shade of red when she laughed that hard, but I felt it best not to ask Edward about that.

"Charlie commented that it was inappropriate for you to want romance your sister, but Bella interceded for you by explaining to Charlie that Rose and you were not blood relations. She told him we all might live in the same family, but we were adopted and over the past five years, Rose and you had fallen in love." Edward concluded.

I figured Charlie was as confused as most people in Forks because everyone seemed to forget we all came from different families. Although, Carlisle's story did have Rose and Jasper related but not the rest of us.

Edward finally provided three possible ideas; of course, I liked the one about taking Rose to dinner and catching a grizzly bear for her, but Rose didn't favor bears, I did; she preferred elk and deer. The idea I finally went with was filling the bedroom with flowers, scented candles, and soft music. Bella even suggested a mixture of red and white roses and baby's breath because of what they meant, and then she suggested candles with a water type scent like rain or ocean breeze or possibly a pine scent. I liked the pine scent idea and went with that. I also spread rose petals across the bed; Bella had an extremely good idea with the flower and candles and I made a mental note to thank her for her help.

I spent all day Monday gathering what I needed to decorate the bedroom, and as a last minute touch, I went out to drain some blood into a thermal container and then rounded up two champagne glasses. Maybe I couldn't offer Rose champagne or wine, but I could offer her warm blood. I like the idea of toasting her and drinking with her in a romantic setting, and I had to admit, Edward and Bella outdid themselves with their suggestions.

I was waiting on the porch to greet her when Rose came home late Monday evening from her day of shopping. I graciously carried her purchases upstairs and slowly ushered her into our bedroom. Rose's mouth dropped open in surprise, and the look of appreciation and love she turned and gave me, reassured me that all the thought and work I had put into arranging the evening had been well worth the effort.

We spent a gloriously romantic night in each other's company and her face absolutely glowed when we went downstairs early the next morning. Edward and Alice were in the living room when we walked in and Alice promptly asked, "Nice night?" and then chuckled into her hand.

Rose quietly replied, "Very memorable," and walked off toward the kitchen where I heard Esme humming to herself.

I walked over to Edward and lightly slapped him on the back, "Thanks Edward, and let Bella know how much I appreciate her help. In fact," I paused as I thought about my next idea, "I may stop over at her house this evening and personally thank her for the romantic evening she helped create."

"If you do, wait until after seven, Bella has to work after school, so she'll be home late." Edward offered.

"Thanks, I'll do that." That was helpful news, I could see her at work while Edward wasn't around, and I could tell her about Saturday. In fact, I decided I could also do that shopping for her at the same time.

"Come on Edward, we'll be late if we don't leave now," Alice called over her shoulder as she headed toward the door.

"I'm coming," he replied. "As if it takes me that long to drive to school," he muttered to himself.

I felt extremely satisfied. Rose and I had had a perfectly romantic, memorable evening, Bella would be free of Edward for a few hours, so I could talk to her while at the same time I could buy the rest of the equipment Bella would need, and everything else was set in place for Saturday's lesson.

**AN: Edited and revised chapter 8/09/08**


	11. Chapter 11 What Bella Needs

_**AN: All characters in this story belong to Stephenie Meyer. I have only taken the liberty to develop the character of Emmett. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter; there are two more before the story ends. Please take a moment to review after reading and let me know what you think about this chapter.**_

_**To all of you who have reviewed in the past, I send a big thank you. Your reviews brighten my day and some even bring a much-needed smile to my face. Thanks again. MidnightWalking.**_

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**What Bella Needs – Chapter 11**

I decided I would go into the store right after Bella went to work, unless I saw Edward hanging around outside. Even before Bella arrived, the noise of her truck assured of the fact that Edward would not be with her. Five minutes later, I watched as Bella pulled into the lot, parked her truck and got out. I laughed as I saw her stumble a couple of times while walking toward the store. 'Only Bella,' I thought, 'could trip over nothing.'

After Bella entered the store, I moved my truck from its hiding place and parked next to Bella's red pickup. As I entered the store, I saw Bella, but I decided I'd allow Newton junior to wait on me. 'Maybe I could rattle his cage a little,' I thought.

I noticed Newton had that cheesy employee of the month smirk most salespeople gave customers when he asked, "Can I help you find anything?"

I also noticed Bella gradually working her way closer to where we were standing. I figured she was curious to see what I was going to buy.

I gave Newton a slight smile as I replied, "Yes, I'm looking for some safety equipment for my sister." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a frown cross Bella's face, so I couldn't help but add, "She's taken up motorcycle riding, and I'd like to make sure she doesn't get injured." Newton turned as he motioned me to follow, and I quickly flashed Bella the widest grin I could manage. Even with her stricken look, I figured she surely must have remembered our agreement about the need for insurance.

I noticed Newton stopped at the helmets. "I would suggest you start by buying a good helmet. Do you know what size your sister wears?"

'Size? I hadn't thought about sizes. Surely,' I thought, 'any one would do,' but a quick scan of those available made me realize I'd have to choose one that would be appropriate for Bella. I instantly regretted not bringing Alice along; she would have enjoyed this shopping trip. Then I spied Bella. "Bella, could you come here a moment?" I used my finger to indicate I wanted her to join us.

I wondered what Bella was thinking that made her frown when I called her over. Then to Mike I clarified by saying, "She's about Alice's size." My comment relieved Bella's frown somewhat and caused me to chuckle under my breath so Newton couldn't hear because I realized Bella was concerned that Mike might find that Bella was my motorcycle-riding sister.

I never enjoyed shopping all that much, but after seeing the look of concern on Bella's face, I realize this shopping trip could be vastly amusing if handled properly. As a result, I asked Bella to try on almost every helmet available, and after trying each one on, I would ask her what she thought my 'little sister' would think of that one. Then I would ask if she thought it was too small or too big.

As Bella continued trying on helmets, I noticed Newton ogling her shirt as it rode up a little whenever she raised her arms to remove the helmets. It took great self-restraint not to hit Newton. If the thought of Edward having inappropriate thoughts of Bella unnerved me, the thought of Newton having those same thoughts enraged me. I forced myself to refocus my thoughts on Bella and our task so I would avoid sending Newton to the hospital.

After focusing on Bella, I saw she was finally becoming frustrated with my constant questioning and I decided I would have to choose one, but while Bella was struggling to remove one of the helmets that was a little small for her, I gave Newton one more push to frustrate him. I asked him if there were any more helmets stored in the back room. He was not only displeased, but highly irritated with my request because he snapped, "No, what you see is all we have."

Since my original intent had been to frustrate Newton, not Bella, which I had accomplished so far, I finally asked Bella if she thought my 'little sister' would like the blue one. I choose blue because I remembered Edward making a comment about how great Bella looked in blue, and it seemed to fit the best.

Once I made that decision, I asked Newton, "Now, do you have any elbow and knee pads?" I was almost tempted to ask about shoulder pads just to see Bella's reaction, but decided against it. Then, as I looked protectively toward Bella, I swiftly added, "I want her to be well protected," and thought 'so Edward doesn't kill me, and I'd buy a pair of shoulder pads if I thought they'd protect her from your roaming eyes.' That thought and the glare Bella shot at me before she walked off to help some other customers in the store made me chortle.

I tired quickly of Newton's company once Bella walked off, so I hurriedly choose the pads she would need, and then a brilliant idea struck me. "Hey Newton, do you have any two-person sleeping bags?"

"Going camping with your girlfriend?" he grinned.

"If I did my wife would kill me," I replied as I watched a surprised expression replace his grin. "Rose and I were married while we were in California." Then I added, "This is a gift for my brother Edward," to which Newton frowned. It was time I made it abundantly clear to Newton that Bella was not free, so I cheerfully added, "He's thinking about taking Bella camping." I was going to add 'after Charlie lets her off of house arrest,' but I thought that might be too much information. Besides, if Newton didn't know she was grounded, I didn't want to be the one to share that information with him. I did appreciate the wince I saw Newton make when I said Edward wanted to take Bella camping.

Newton promptly replied, "We don't sell any that size. Was there anything else?"

Once again, I laugh quietly. I had to admit, that I was having more fun than I'd ever had shopping, except that time Alice dragged Jasper and me into that lingerie store, and we started putting on bras and panties over our clothes. Then we fashioned our garments in front of the full-length mirrors and asked 'Does this color look good on me?' It was the last time Alice ever allowed us go into any other stores like that, but I did buy something spicy for Rose before I left and gave it to her as a gift. Jasper would never admit it, but I knew he also bought something hot for Alice to wear.

"I think that's everything for now," I replied to Newton. As I was finally checking out, I couldn't help but add one more twist to the barbs I'd already inflicted on Newton by saying, "Maybe I'll look for that sleeping bag in Port Angeles; I bet that sporting goods store carries them."

As I was leaving, I slowly walked by Bella and softly whispered, "I think this Saturday will work out nicely." I gave her a knowing wink before I left. I felt like I had done a good days work, and that included extinguishing Mike Newton's romantic dreams as far as Bella was concerned.

Newton had no right to think about my 'little sis' as anything but my brother's girlfriend. I admitted to myself, as I walked out to my truck, that it bothered me that Edward might have thoughts about Bella like the ones I had for Rose, but that I'd rather have him harbor such thoughts where Bella was concerned than anyone else.

**AN: Edited and revised chapter 8/09/08**


	12. Chapter 12 Lesson With Bella

_**AN: Disclaimer – I do not own Twilight, New Moon, nor any of the character portrayed therein; Stephenie Meyer created and earns the credit all of them.**_

_**The last chapter was short but fun, so to make up for its shortness, I'm adding this one as well. In case anyone feels I stole the jacket from Eclipse, I actually wrote this story before Eclipse came out, and this story was posted on fanfiction quite a while ago, but I have since made some changes and am now reposting the story.**_

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**A Lesson with Bella – Chapter 12**

I found the week nearly flew by, and I looked forward to the time when Bella would arrive for her lesson. Alice had assured me that the weather would be nice, so I wouldn't have to worry about dangerous road or weather conditions. I did wonder how much time Bella had spent riding her motorcycle, and who, if anyone, had shown her how to ride. Those questions I could ask her after she arrived.

I heard Bella's truck when she was still two miles from the house. It gave me enough time to make sure everything was ready and then I waited for her on the porch.

When she pulled up, Bella was wearing a huge grin. I didn't need Jasper's skill to know she was excited, I could read that on her face. It was too bad I didn't have Alice's skill though, or I would have known to help her out of the truck because as she got out she fell. It wasn't that I had been to far away, distance wasn't the problem; the problem had been that until she fell I couldn't see the danger of her falling because the truck was in the way.

As soon as I knew she had fallen, I was beside her and helping her up. I realized instantly that we hadn't gotten off to a good start. She hadn't even gotten on the bike and already she had injuries. I couldn't help but shake my head and laugh as I commented, "We haven't even started with the motorcycle and you've already injured yourself. I'm beginning to wonder if maybe this wasn't a good idea."

"Emmett, it's nothing," she reassured me as she smiled. "This is just an everyday event for me, nothing out of the ordinary."

All I could do was hope this was the last injury she would suffer while she was with me. "Well, please try to be more careful. Come on let's go. I found a deserted unpaved road that will work perfectly. If you fall, I don't want you sliding across the pavement. Dirt is bad enough, but at least it's a little softer." As I walked her over to my truck, I realized I would have to help her up into the cab. It was easy to forget how short Bella was. 'Well, not as short as Alice,' I thought, 'but more in need of help than Alice.'

As I was reaching out to lift her into the cab, she turned to reassure me, "I promise to be careful." I wondered if she knew I was concerned after her first slight mishap as she got out of her truck. At least it was a hopeful comment on her part, but knowing Bella, I wondered how careful her careful would be.

It took little time to reach our destination, but I noticed as I drove that Bella looked a little paler than usually. I wanted to ask if she was having second thoughts, but then I remembered something Edward had said once about Bella's dislike of high speeds. I thought that was interesting since she was the one who had bought a motorcycle.

As soon as I found a good spot to park, I jumped out of the truck and was at Bella's door before she could undo her seat belt. I made sure she was unbuckled before I helped her out of the cab, then I reached behind the seat and grabbed a bag, which I promptly handed to her. "Here, put it all on. I'm not willing to risk my life for yours," I warned.

While Bella was donning the items I bought at Newton's Outfitters and the gloves Jasper bought, I hauled Bella's motorcycle out of the back of the truck. After setting the motorcycle down, I watched as Bella pulled on her gloves. I was sorry I hadn't given them to her earlier because then her hands would have been protected when she fell out of her truck. I laughed under my breath as I realized I was taking both our live in my hands when I agreed to undertake this potentially life-threatening endeavor; well, more so for Bella than me; accept of course for what Edward would do to me if she were hurt. I decided I had to stop thinking this way, so I just chuckled again and told myself that everything would work out fine.

As soon as she was finished I asked, "So, are you ready?" I looked her up and down. "At least it looks like I covered all the major areas that might get scraped or cut, but I can't do anything about bruises. I almost bought some shoulder pads like football players wear, but Rose argued that would be too much. Just promise me you'll be careful." I cautioned her, and then I realized I had forgotten one gift. I reached into the truck and pulled out one more bag. "Now, I know you don't like presents, but don't think of this as a present, but a peace offering," I said as I handed her the bag.

Bella frowned before opening the bag Rose had given me. I knew Rose had spent a good deal of time shopping for just the right thing to add to Bella's safety equipment.

As she pulled out a sleek lightweight jacket, she asked, "What do you mean a peace offering?"

I chuckled as I answered, "Well, Rose wanted you to know she doesn't hate you; she just didn't realize that Edward and you really do love each other. She wanted to tell you how sorry she was about what happened and to thank you for saving her brother, so . . ." I was hoping she would take this the right way and not be insulted, "she bought you something that would help you stay uninjured."

"A jacket?" she asked.

"Not just any jacket," I reassured her, "this jacket is designed to help you slide easier if you fall, and it helps reduce the friction so you won't be as dangerously injured if something unforeseen happens. Although, I promise to do everything I can to stop that from happening. Now, what do you know about riding this motorcycle?"

Bella told me about the lesson's she had with wolf boy; he taught her to shift gears, speed up and slow down, make turns, and most importantly according to her, how to use the brake.

"So," I stated, "What you need is just some practical riding experience. Has wolf boy ever ridden with you?"

Bella gave me a rather displeased grimace. I judged it was a reaction to the term 'wolf boy,' but just to be sure, I asked, "What?"

"Wolf boy?" She scoffed. "Why can't you call him by his name?"

Hadn't Edward explained to her about the enemy aspect of these beings? I was part of the family when the original treaty was made, and I knew how the Quileute felt about our kind even though Carlisle had reassured them that we would not be a threat to them. Before we moved back to Forks, Carlisle stressed the importance of not breaking the treaty and we all agreed to be on our best behavior. How were we supposed to know the reaction Edward would have to Bella's blood and Bella herself. I had always thought he was immune to that type of attraction, and yet here he was head over heels in love with this slip of a girl and she was no better. They truly were meant for each other.

I figured I'd just tell her like it was concerning our relationship with the Quileute, "They're our enemies. It's as simple as that." With the truth, I felt I'd left no room for argument, but leave it to Bella to find an argument to even a simple truth.

She wrinkled her brow as she thoughtfully replied, "I guess I don't understand any of you. I can be friends with you and them and yet neither of you can be friendly towards each other. It just makes no sense to me at all."

"Since when did life ever make sense," I grinned as we strolled over toward her bike.

"You're right. I have discovered that myths are based on reality, and I live in the one place were two groups from the horror movies live together, not peacefully of course, and I'm friends with both of them, and not only am I friends with them, but I'm more comfortable in their world then I am in the human world." She turned around and looked at me. "What does that say about me?" A look of concern covered her face.

She had a point; she was an extremely rare person. Instead of running in the opposite direction from both of our kind, she was drawn to us, as the proverbial moth to a flame and without the fear of being burned by either of us, but the scariest part was that she really did not find her own response to be abnormal.

I knew she was waiting for a response, so I replied, "It says that you're a truly unique person, and maybe one who is only drawn to danger. Maybe the unexciting human world is to boring for you." I had to smile at that idea and then I saw her bike, pointed toward it, and continued, "Case in point, one motorcycle that could, if not handled properly, endanger your life. So, you never did answer my question. Did wolf . . . sorry," I quickly corrected my mistake in respect for Bella, not for the adolescent werewolf, "Jacob ever ride with you?"

"Sure," she added proudly, "he also has a motorcycle and a couple of times he followed me."

I could see she didn't understand what I meant, so I clarified, "No, I mean did he ever ride behind you on your motorcycle?"

She skeptically asked, "As in sit behind me and hold on as I drove?"

"Yes."

"No. Never." It almost sounded like she was shocked or in disbelief that anyone would ride with her like that.

"What, was he afraid of being on the motorcycle with you? It's not like you could have hurt him much, no more than you could hurt me." It would have been laughable if he had been worried about his own safety.

"What do you mean?" She seemed surprised by that comment.

"Bella, werewolves are almost as hard to kill as we are. Didn't he tell you that?" I would have thought he would have bragged about his supernatural abilities and qualities to impress her with what he was capable of doing.

"No . . . well, maybe not in so many words, but I think he tried to show me that once. I guess I just wasn't listening." As she spoke, it was as though she finally realized something she had missed before.

I decided it was time to get off the werewolf topic and focus on her lesson. "Well, I think I'll start by watching you, but later, if you're not opposed, I'll ride behind you."

"Do you think that's safe?" She didn't seem comfortable with that idea.

To reassure her, I replied with a grin, "I won't be in any danger."

"Not for you, for me; will it be safe for me with you behind me?" She still seemed uncomfortable with the idea.

"I don't see why it wouldn't be safe. If I'm behind you and you skid or tip the motorcycle over, I can wrap my arms around you as a protective barrier." I had done this so often with Rose during practice that I knew it would now come as second nature. I felt very confident that I could do this without causing any harm to Bella.

"Okay, but don't hold too tightly if that happens. I don't want to be crushed in a protective embrace."

I wanted to laugh, but I refrained and declared, "Oh come on Bella, I'm not that dumb. I remember how fragile you are, so I'll be doubly careful. In fact, I'll treat you just like an egg in a fragile shell." I watched as she frowned at my comment and my laugh, then I asked, "So, are you ready?"

I saw Bella take a deep breath before she finally agreed. "Yes."

With that settled it was time to see what she already knew, so I pointed to her bike and requested, "Okay, show me what you can do."

Bella proceeded to do just that. She confidently approached her bike, and then she straddled and started it with no problems almost as if she was an old hand at it. She seemed to be able to let the clutch out slowly and smoothly and had the bike quickly flying down the dirt road. I noticed a wide smile spreading across her face. I watched her slowing down to turn when suddenly the bike jerked to a stop but Bella didn't. I was by her side in less time than it took for her to hit the ground; I promptly grabbed the bike so it would not fall on her, but I didn't grab her for fear of hurting her if I held her too tightly or grabbed her too roughly. My reaction was quick, but so was the sense of fear, which gripped me when I knew she was falling. 'Maybe this wasn't such a good idea,' I thought. 'Maybe we should give up before she is hurt.'

I couldn't tell who I was more upset with, her for wanting to do this or me for being foolish enough to agree. I was a little harsh when I asked, "Bella, what did you do?"

Very calmly, like this was an everyday event for her, she replied, "I hit the brake, but someone connected the back brake. I've never learned how to use it properly."

'Oops,' I thought, 'that's why Rose found it disconnected. Well, who would have thought?' I decided it was an easy but correctable mistake to make. "Okay, that's my fault." I offered, "I had Rosalie look it over. She said it was in great shape except for the disconnected brake, so I asked her to connect it. I didn't realize someone disconnected it for your safety. Nothing I can do about it now, so maybe it's time you learn how to use it properly."

I spent all morning teaching her the proper use of the back brake without causing any injury to her. That didn't mean she learned quickly. She had a number of falls and spills, but I would always be there to make sure no serious harm came to her. I even had a feeling she was thankful for the safely equipment I had made her wear. I also noticed she was slowly adjusting to the proper use of the back brake. I figured we would be able to move on to other skills and techniques sometime after noon.

It was a little after noon, when I finally concluded it would be safe for Bella to ride further on her bike, but not without me. I carefully, so as not to scare Bella, got on the back of the motorcycle and told her not to try to balance both our weights. I reassured her that she only needed to consider her weight when turning and stopping. I warned her not to compensate for my weigh by leaning too much or we would wipe out, and that if she would just continue to focus on what she would do if she were riding alone, I would take care of the rest. I told her it would be up to me to balance and counterbalance my own weight while we were riding. She seemed extremely skeptical at first, but I put as much persuasive charm in my voice as possible while reassuring her that everything would turn out fine. I hadn't told her that I had only practiced doing this with Rose for the past week, but that practice had help me become more confident in what I needed to do.

When she finally seemed comfortable with the idea of me being behind her, I encouraged her to start down the road. At first, I could feel her back stiffen, as if she was trying to avoid making contact with me. I kept my hands on the underside of the seat or at my side and tried not to make contact with her body, since that seemed to disrupt her concentration. The further we rode, however, the more confident of herself and her ability she became until I felt that she was no longer concerned that I was behind her. I was able to relax a little myself and if our bodies did make contact due to turns and stops, she seemed not to notice, or at least she didn't stiffen up when it happened.

Edward had been right when he told me that her body was soft and warm to the touch. It was no wonder he enjoyed being close to her. Of course, my contact with her probably didn't affect either of us the way their contact did. To me, it felt like I was sitting behind my little sister doing everything in my power to keep her safe and at the same time to provide her with some much-needed enjoyable entertainment.

Since we had returned to Fork, it seemed like every time I saw Bella she was missing something that I had seen in her eyes before Edward made us all leave, and this was the first time I had seen her smile more than frown. In fact, this smile reached into her eyes and lit up her entire face. That fact alone encouraged me because it told me she was having fun and that she liked my company. 'What more could a big brother want than to brighten the day of his little sis,' I thought.

**AN: Edited and revised chapter 8/09/08**


	13. Chapter 13 Insightful Afternoon Talk

**AN: Disclaimer – All characters and Bella's motorcycle belong to Stephenie Meyer, but the story itself comes from my thoughts about what might happen with Bella's motorcycle.**

**Please remember that I wrote this story before the release of Eclipse, so the comments about Rosalie were my speculations about what had happened with her and why she felt the way she did about Bella, and about Bella being changed.**

**There is only one more chapter to this story, so tell me what you think of this chapter.**

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**Insightful Afternoon Talk – Chapter 13**

"Bella, I think we should go back to the truck and take a short break," I suggested around three. It had totally slipped my mind that as a human she probably should have stopped sooner to eat something. I had wrapped up in the enjoyment of my time with Bella that I had forgotten that Esme had packed a small lunch for her. As we reached the truck, she parked and got off the motorcycle and turned toward me.

"Are you finding it difficult keeping up with me?" Bella laughed playfully. I had to admit she had a lilting, enjoyable laugh, and her comment only made me laugh in reply.

"You better be kidding or else you're in trouble!" I playfully threatened back. "I could do this all week and never get tired." I laughed more as I noticed a twinkle in her eye as she listened to me. I could just imagine what fun it would be to have Bella as a permanent little sister. The things we could do together. The 'trouble' we could get into together. The 'trouble' I could get into with Edward for getting into trouble with her; that only made me laugh more. In my opinion, her change couldn't come soon enough; I was really looking forward to it because, even without Alice's ability, I could foresee more days of amusing fun and games just like this one, and she wouldn't constantly be running off on shopping trips like Alice. Maybe she'd like to join in the egg toss with Edward and me when I challenge him. I bet she'd enjoy it even before she's changed; hell, I bet she'd win too since she wouldn't have our strength problem, but then again, being Bella she might not. I would definitely invite her to join the game; if nothing else, it would be fun to see how she would handle having raw eggs lobed at her. Bella's laughing voice caught my attention and I refocused my thoughts on the moment at hand.

"I could try harder to have a more serious fall, or more frequent falls, just to keep you on your toes." She chuckled even more. I knew that twinkle meant trouble.

"You really do want to get me in trouble with Edward, and just how would we explain to your father about the fresh injuries?" I still knew she was joking, so I continued to smile and laughed with her.

"Charlie wouldn't be surprised by new injuries," she replied calmly and then continued with a knowing smile. "I would just tell him I tripped on the stairs. It's not as if it hasn't happened before. Besides, he saw a lot of injuries and bruises when Jake was teaching me to ride."

"I'm surprised that you survived at all; although he should have been fast enough to catch you when you fell." I might not know everything about werewolves, but I did know they were fast.

"Oh, Jake wasn't one then. That came later."

I saw her shiver slightly. I wasn't sure what caused it until she continued.

"He didn't really change until just before Laurent turned up and informed me that Victoria was looking for me. That was the first time I saw Jake as a werewolf."

I noticed her body shake involuntarily again. I knew the memory caused the shiver but I couldn't tell if it was seeing the werewolves or Laurent that was behind the cold chill she had experienced. I would have asked more questions about that – I really was curious to know what had happened and how, but I knew now wasn't the time to ask. I would save those questions for a more serious question and answer time.

Besides, this moment was for having fun and those questions would only cause dark memories; as a result, I lightened the mood by saying, "Well, at least I'm fast enough to stop any serious injuries or bruises so neither of us will have to come up with excuses for Edward _or_ Charlie." At least she smiled at that. "Come on," I added as I turned and headed toward the truck, "Esme sent a lunch along for you."

She followed me to the truck. I naturally reached it before her, grabbed the bag Esme had carefully and thoughtfully packed, and handed it to her as she joined me.

"That was nice of her. I'll have to thank her later." She smiled as she took the brown paper bag and walked over to a fallen log to sit down.

I promptly joined her. "Bella, let's not tell her I almost forgot to feed you," I suggested with a gentle bump of my shoulder into her much smaller, slender frame.

Bella laughed. "That's okay Emmett. I'd totally forgotten about lunch also. I've been having so much fun, food was the last thing on my mind."

I just smiled at her in reply. Bella was such an easygoing person and a lot of fun to be around that I wondered once more how Edward could ever have thought she would remain that way after he left her. In my mind, Edward wasn't as smart as he always claimed he was.

Becoming more serious, Bella asked, "Emmett, what did Rosalie mean when she said she wished someone had voted no for her?"

"Bella, it wasn't said against you, but other things . . ." I hesitated as I sat beside Bella but then decided to share with her some of what Rose felt. I slid over toward her and wrapped my arm around her shoulder for comfort, just as I would with any sister of mine. "It might help if you understand a little about what happened, from her point of view. She had a hard time when she thought she was going to be at fault for Edward's death. She hasn't always been on the best of terms with him after what happened when she was changed, but she would never want him to . . . well, since we can't die, I guess you could say cease to exist."

"Does this have to do with the fact that originally Rosalie was meant for Edward?" She did seem to have a way of getting at the heart of a matter.

"Yes. You see, Rose always believed that Carlisle was too quick to give her up for dead; that he wanted so much to find someone for Edward that he made a hasty decision to change her without giving her an opportunity to pull through."

"But Carlisle would never do that!"

"No, he wouldn't, but Rose refused to believe she would have died if he had waited. Rose honestly believes that she would have lived if she would have been given the chance." I could see surprise and shock registered on Bella's face. "Believe me Bella when I say she is wrong in her belief. Both Carlisle and Edward assure me that there was no chance of her surviving. Had Carlisle not changed her, she really would be dead. Even Esme agrees with them. She saw Rose when Carlisle first brought her home, and she said the same thing – Rose would have died. That still doesn't mean much to Rose, however. No one has been able to change her mind, and for a long time she blamed both Carlisle and Edward for the loss of her human life. A part of her resentment might be the result of Edward's rejection of her. Oh, he liked her well enough as a sister, but he never felt the slightest bit attracted to her. There was a time when I thought there was something wrong with him." I chucked under my breath because I remembered thinking, all those years ago, that maybe Edward didn't like girls; boy, was I ever wrong. "Rose is so beautiful; I couldn't believe he didn't find her the least bit appealing. Of course, I'm also happy he didn't. I honestly believe that she didn't accept any of her new life until she found me and then she never really accepted it fully; she still has regrets, as you can tell."

I could tell Bella was intensely interested in what I was saying because she was taking long pauses between each bite of her lunch.

"If I'm not mistaken, Rose was somewhat afraid that I would reject her after I had been changed because of what she was. As if what she was would ever matter to me." Just thinking of Rose caused my smile to widen and my heart to feel full. "I fell in love with the angel I first set eyes on, and then, as I got to know her better, I fell in love with the person she was and those feeling have never changed over all these years, nor will they ever change."

"I didn't know any of that," she replied thoughtfully.

"Well, don't tell her I told you that, and don't be too hard on her. She really is trying to make up for the hurt she has caused." I thought momentarily before I finally added, "Bella, it's not like she hates you; she's more envious than anything. She misses being human and it's hard for her to accept you because you have what she wants – a normal human life."

Bella chuckled, "I wouldn't call my life normal Emmett. Look at me, I'm a calamity waiting to happen; I'm a walking danger zone. I hang out with vampires and werewolves, and I want more than anything to be just like all of you. If I could, I would gladly change places with Rosalie, but were would that leave you?" She frowned as she continued to look at me. "Would she really be willing to give you up?"

'Would she willingly give me up?' I thought. In answer to that, I knew I wouldn't willingly give her up and I was glad there was no possibility of having to face such a thought.

"Emmett," Bella's voice brought me out of my internal thoughts of being without Rose, "was the jacket from Rosalie?" She asked as she ran her hand over the sleeve of the jacket.

"Yes."

"A peace offering?" she asked.

I removed my arm from around her shoulder and slid away from her a little so I could see her face. "Well, maybe more of a thank you gift." I offered.

"Thank you for what?" She must have been in deep thought about this because I saw a slight crease form in her forehead.

"For saving Edward of course. Rose really feels responsible for what happened. It never occurred to her that Edward would take such a drastic step." Bella frowned as if she didn't understand what I meant. "Rose really didn't believe that Edward loved you. In her mind, if he loved you as much as he claimed, then he would never want to lose you. She couldn't understand why he wouldn't change you and because he didn't, she believed he really didn't love you."

"But he did, at least he said he did. I can understand her thinking that way because I've thought that before, but he says he loves me, and I think he means it." Neither her words nor her voice suggested a confident belief in that fact.

"Bella, Edward loves you more than anything or anyone else. His reluctance to change you has nothing to do with not loving you. Actually it's the opposite; he loves you so much he doesn't want you to lose everything." I could tell she was going to argue, but before she could, I rushed on. "Bella, you would lose your family. We all lost our families when we were changed. I was the youngest in a large family and it hurt when Carlisle told me I could never see them again, but I accepted that. Had Rose not found me, I would have died and lost them anyway, but for you, you would be making the choice to give them up willingly. You've been to Volterra and seen the Volturi, so you know the most important rule we have to abide by – no exposure. Your parents can never know, so you have to become dead to them. It's hard for Edward to take them away from you, or for him to take you from them."

"I think I knew that," she uttered.

"Bella, think about how Charlie would feel if he lost you? It's one of the things Edward reflects on constantly; it's one of the reasons why it is so hard for him to give in and willingly change you."

"But, Emmett, it's still my choice, and one day Charlie will lose me anyway. I'll move out and go to school and we won't see much of each other anyway."

"Yes, but that's not permanent. You could still see him at holidays and such, but after becoming a vampire, it would be permanent. Are you ready for that?" It was a serious consideration, but for love, true love like the one I felt for Rose, I would have made the same choice as Bella. I loved my family, but I loved Rose more.

"I love Edward with my whole heart and soul. I can give up Charlie and my mom, but I can't live without him. I've already been down that road. I can't go through that again." The overwhelming emotion in her voice told me she was telling the truth, and I saw that there were tears beginning to form in her eyes, so I thought it was wise to change the subject.

"About the jacket Bella, Rose really did want to contribute to your safety. At first she was going to buy you gloves, but when Jasper brought them home . . ."

Bella interjected. "Jasper bought the gloves?" The surprise in her voice was very evident and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"It's a long story," I commented with a deep chuckle.

"Emmett, I have time." She smiled encouragingly, so I told her about everyone's input into helping set up this day's activity.

I watched Bella's face go from surprise to laughter to loving gratitude as I explained everyone's part. She especially found the egg incident funny and said when I finally challenged Edward to an egg-tossing contest she wanted to be invited because she could always use a good laugh. I didn't mention that I had already planned on her being a part of the contest.

I spent an hour of explaining everything while Bella slowly ate her lunch and then we had one last ride on the motorcycle before we headed home.

As we were driving, Bella suddenly asked, "Emmett, do you ever regret being changed?"

"No, I'd be dead if Carlisle hadn't changed me." I chucked that she would think I would prefer death to this.

"No, that's not what I meant," she countered. "I meant if you had the choice and death hadn't been looking you in the face," we both simultaneously laughed lightly, and I wondered if she was sharing the same image of a bear standing over me, "would you have preferred to remain a human rather than what you are?"

I guess I hadn't really thought about that before. I always saw the other option as death and permanent separation from Rose, but Bella's inquisitive mind presented something I had never pondered before. "I guess, if I really had the choice," this was indeed an interesting question, "I think I would . . ." and then a number of memories quickly flashed through my mind. Memories of intimate times with Rose, wrestling with Jasper, trying to outwit Edward, boisterous family baseball games, snowball fights that included my entire family, Carlisle and Esme, Alice and her shopping trips – not to mention her twisted sense of humor at times – that garnered some interesting items for the family home and family, and other simple but cherished memories about my current family. As I watched them all, I felt a grin spread across my entire face, I felt a lightness and happiness deep inside my cold chest, and I realized I knew my answer. "I wouldn't change a thing Bella. There are the downsides of this life, but I have the best family in the world and I wouldn't give them up for anything – not even to be human again." Deep felt emotion saturated every word I uttered.

Bella smiled back at me, and I saw a twinkling of happiness in her deep brown eyes. "Thanks for sharing that Emmett, and for everything you shared this afternoon especially about Rosalie." Then she abruptly changed the subject. "Do you think Edward will ride with me?"

I chuckled as I replied, "Well, we might have to prove to him that you're not going to kill yourself first, but once that is achieved, he might agree to ride with you." After a moment, I glanced over at her and it appeared as if she were gazing off into space with a slight smile on her face. Whatever she was thinking or imagining must have pleased her.

I gave her a few more moments before I broke into her reverie by suggesting, "Maybe you should let him drive it first. Then broach the subject of your driving."

I noticed her eyes refocus on the present before she replied, "That might be a good idea, but only after I am able to come over again. Maybe you could be with me when I tell him I've been riding it so you can assure him that I _can_ ride without injuring myself." Bella laughed heartily at her newfound skills; earlier she might have believed she was incapable of accomplishing such a feat without bodily harm, but today's adventure proved her capable of being adventurous without suffering any lasting injuries.

She was right. I could assure Edward that she had done well considering her proclivity to accidents. Then I smiled at her. "You are extremely happy. It's like there are waves of happiness rolling off you." That comment reminded me of Jasper so jokingly I asked, "You're not Jasper in disguise are you?"

Her laughter rolled around the cab of the truck and was a joy to hear.

"I take it that you enjoyed yourself today, even without Edward being around." I was extremely pleased with myself knowing that I had a part in making this a good day for her.

"Yes, it's been a great day. I don't have any broken bones, I spent the day with my big brother, and I learned to handle my motorcycle better than I could before," she replied with a huge grin.

I smiled in response to her comment about being her big brother.

Then her voice became more serious as she continued. "Don't get me wrong, I still missed being with Edward, but despite that, it was a glorious day."

I felt an odd warmth growing near my heart as her words filled me with contentment. She saw me as a big brother, she'd had a good time being around me, and her smile brightened her entire face in a way I hadn't seen since before Edward had left her. I felt extremely pleased with myself. "You know Bella, I feel protective of you like a big brother. I feel like you're the little sister I never had, but now that you're a part of the family, I don't plan on letting you go." With as much sincerity and brotherly love as I could muster, I declared, "If you _ever_ need my help, don't hesitate to call because I will be there for you in a flash, and I'll be there for you, even if it's Edward who hurts you."

Her smiled encompassed her entire face as she said, "Thanks Emmett that really does mean a lot to me." Then she leaned over and kissed my cheek.

**AN: Edited and revised chapter 8/09/08**


	14. Chapter 14 Caught

_**Disclaimer – Stephenie Meyer is graciously allowing the use of her characters; they do not belong to me, but the story plot does.**_

_**This is the last chapter of "My Little Sis," I hope you have enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Thanks for the words of encouragement along the way and thanks to everyone who has reviewed my story. Now read and enjoy.**_

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**Caught – Chapter 14**

The kiss surprised and pleased me. Bella's lips were so warm on my cold cheek that I couldn't help but feel pleased by the warmth they left behind. As much as I wanted to leave the smile it caused frozen on my lips, I couldn't because as we neared the house –or at least near enough for me to see, I saw Edward waiting for us. He did not look pleased and that did not bode well for Bella. She was so happy and content because of the lovely day we had spent together; I decided I wouldn't allow Edward to ruin the day for her and if he did, then he would answer to me for it.

I was surprised at how over-protective I suddenly felt, but then maybe, I decided, that was just how big brothers were. In a way, I liked the feeling, so I decided I would not only act the part of Bella's big brother but I would _be_ her big brother.

'Edward,' I called in my mind and watched his head snap in our direction; I knew I had his attention. 'You'd better get a grip on your emotions, you better not yell when this truck stops at the house, and you better not upset her if you know what's good for you. This was her choice and at least she was with me and not wolf-boy.' Even from this distance, I could see his nostrils flare in anger. Then I heard a soft sharp intake of breath, and I realized that Bella saw him as well. I had hoped she wouldn't have seen him so soon, and from his look, she would think he was directing his anger at her, and that was regrettable because she had been smiling all day; I didn't want Edward to spoil the fun she and I had had together.

"Holy crow!" Bella moaned from beside me. "He knows."

Anguish and worry replaced the sweet contented smile of a moment ago. "Don't worry Bella, it will be okay."

To help reassure her, I reached over, took her hand, and gave it a slight squeeze all the time thinking, 'Edward, she can see you; she thinks you're mad with her. Don't ruin this day for her; she's been smiling and laughing most of the day. Allow her some free choice here. And, if you know what's good for you, you'd better smile.'

To add emphasis to my warning, I added, 'If you ruin this for her, not only will you face my anger, but I'll make sure Alice and Rose make your life miserable for the next month.' To help illustrate my threat, I conjured up a picture of Alice and Rose at the mall with Edward in tow carrying the shopping bags, and then, just to emphasize the worst they could do, I pictured Jasper and I holding him down while the girls gave him a facial makeover. I knew he caught my thoughts because he replaced his scowl with a slight smile. I just hoped he wouldn't say anything to Bella to ruin this day for her. 'Watch what you say,' I thought, 'You're the only one who can truly spoil Bella's day.' If that didn't help, I thought, then nothing will.

Bella also must have seen his expression change for she looked a little less fearful as she asked, "Emmett, what did you say to him?"

Repressing a smile because of what I had just said and showed him, I nonchalantly replied, "I didn't say anything."

But Bella knew better; she was a quick learner and not only about the finer points of motorcycle riding but also about how our family functioned, so she knew I hadn't verbally said a word. She asked, "Okay then, what did you _think_ at him?"

As casually as possible I answered, "I told him we had a lovely day together and that if he knew what was good for him, he would be nice about it and not say anything to ruin your day." She gave me a look that told me she knew there had to more to it than that, so I added, "At least that was the gist of what I thought. Now, if he perceived it differently, I can't help that."

I knew I condensed most of what I'd said to Edward and left out the major threat involving Rose and Alice, but I also knew Edward heard every word I had said to Bella, so I wasn't totally lying about what I told him. Of course, I also added to Edward that if he wasn't careful, Alice might get the idea of taking Bella along on that extended shopping trip I had just envisioned.

Without much confidence, Bella replied, "Well, we're about to find out."

We both watched as Edward walked toward the truck, and as soon as I stopped it, Edward reached up and opened Bella's door. I noticed he at least had the decency to smile at her.

"Bella?" He started with a slight growl, but I heard the playful undertone in his voice.

"Edward," Bella was forcing herself to sound pleased to see him. "What a pleasant surprise. I thought you would be gone until tomorrow."

He was still smiling, but I noticed the change in his eyes. I hoped he didn't do anything dumb like losing his temper. "Plans change. What have you been doing? I heard you were studying with Alice, but Alice is in the house, and it looks like you've been out with Emmett."

I hadn't left the truck yet; I refused to budge until I knew Bella would be okay. I figured I could stay for moral support incase Edward said something he shouldn't have, that way I could be there to help smooth things out. Just to be more helpful, I cautioned him, 'Edward, she never stopped smiling the whole time we were together, and we had a good time bonding. Now, look, you're making her frown, don't ruin the good day that she's had. She has so few anymore since her _imprisonment_.' I figured it didn't hurt to remind him that she was grounded because she ran off to save _his_ life.

"Yeah, Emmett took me out for a little while. You know, all work and no play . . ." Bella was trying to make light of the entire situation, but I could sense she was failing.

"Bella, you'll never be dull." He replied causally, but I noticed his quick glance at the back of the truck. He knew what we had been doing. As he turned back toward Bella, he must have seen something on her face that caused him to continue, "It's the end of the comment you were making. 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.' You'll never be dull Bella. If anything, you are a bundle of surprises, like the one that awaited me when I arrived home." I noticed his gaze deepening on her and then heard her breathe catch. I felt it wise once more to intervene just as he reminded her to breathe. 'Be careful how you handle this. She was going to tell you about it after you returned from hunting, you just never gave her time to prepare.'

After that last thought, I slipped quickly out of the truck and dashed up to the porch. I noticed Esme was watching through the window. I began to wonder if she had talked with Edward before Bella and I arrived back home.

I watched and listened from the porch as Bella recounted our lesson together, and how much fun she had had, and then she made the mistake of mentioning that she fell off the motorcycle. I was preparing for an outburst, but it didn't come. Then I noticed Edward turning over Bella's hands to examine her palms. I smiled slightly remembering Bella's ungraceful exit from her truck upon arriving at the house.

Even from this distance, I could hear her informing him, "I fell when I got out of my truck this morning."

Edward's reaction to the admission was only evident to me as he mirthfully commented, "What _am_ I going to do with you Bella? You dive off cliffs, ride motorcycles, and run around making friends with werewolves. What will you think of next?"

Her blithe reply surprised me. "Take you for a ride on my motorcycle?"

I suppressed a laugh as I watched her fearlessly stared up at Edward with those large brown eyes, and I thought, 'Hell yeah! Way to go Bella.' From the look Edward quickly shot at me, I knew he heard every word, so I gave him a huge grin.

The banter that followed was humorous and more than once, I had to refrain from bursting out laughing.

"Is that what you really want?" I was amazed that her request amused him.

"Or you could take me for a ride first." I could see her smile not only on her face but also in her eyes.

"Only if you wear your helmet."

"What don't trust your own driving?" She asked with a slight twinkle in her eyes and a light playful tone in her voice.

'She is getting brazen,' I thought with a smile.

They finally agreed that Bella would be the passenger on the entire trip, and to me, it didn't look like she minded that idea. As she looked over at me, I gave her a huge smile and a wave of encouragement. I felt so proud of her at that moment because she handled everything so well and was now getting the opportunity she wanted of riding with Edward. With one last proud look, I turned, entered the house, stood beside Esme and watch from the window.

As Bella straddled the seat behind Edward and wrapped her arms around him, I thought, 'Edward should thank his lucky stars he found someone as forgiving and loving as Bella. She is one of a kind.'

Esme reached over and patted me on the shoulder, "Don't worry Emmett, Edward will take good care of her, and he was not as upset as he looked."

I gazed down at Esme. It surprised me that she knew I was slightly worried now that Bella had gone off with Edward, and I was curious how she knew he wasn't as upset as he looked when we pulled into the drive.

She must have seen the puzzled look on my face for she continued, "Edward and I had talk before you and Bella came home. I told him he would have to accept the fact that Bella had the right to make her own choices, even if they seemed dangerous to him." She patted my shoulder again as she asked, "You really care for her, don't you?"

"She's the little sister I never had," I remarked, knowing this was exactly how I felt. I won't ever see Bella as anything but my sister. "I feel extremely protective of her, even where Edward is concerned I feel protective. I don't think I've ever felt this way about anyone else." It was new to me. I never felt this way about Alice, but then Alice had Jasper and was already a vampire when she joined the family. I never felt that Alice needed protecting, but Bella – well that was an entirely different situation. "I think I would honestly hurt anyone who posed a threat to her," I admitted to Esme sincerely. I admitted to myself that I suddenly felt a new sense of protectiveness toward Bella that I had never experienced before, and to be honest, I **liked** the feeling.

"I'm glad. She is going to need all of us to watch out for her until Edward finally decides to do right by her." Esme shook her head. "Bella seems to have a knack for attracting life-threatening situations."

Just then, we both turned toward the window as we heard the motorcycle approaching the house. I rushed out because I was concerned about what sent them home so quickly. As Edward stopped, Bella jumped off the back and rushed into the house. I was surprised at how quickly she ran into the house without once falling or tripping. My first reaction, as she entered the house was to growl as I asked. "What happened?" I was almost daring Edward to admit he upset her.

Edward just smiled as he calmly replied, "She needed a human moment."

I was puzzled momentarily by his comment, and then it dawned on me. "Oops," I offered with a chuckle. "That was the one human need I forgot to account for."

Fini!

_I hope everyone enjoyed Emmett's version of Bella's motorcycle lesson. I know I had a lot of fun writing it. I really enjoyed getting to know Emmett and even Rosalie better. Thanks for all the reviews, I have really appreciated and enjoyed them. If you want more, you can read my other stories.. Thank you once again for taking the time to review. Gratefully – MidnightWalking_

**AN: Edited and revised chapter 8/09/08**


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